Grace Episcopal Church History
Amidst the undulating hills and farmlands in the quaint town of Lyons, NY the Grace Episcopal Church resides. In the sweltering heat of August 13, 1838 twenty-five Episcopalian families met composed of businessmen and craftsmen met in the newly constructed brick courthouse and planned to build the Grace Episcopal Church. At the time of the construction, the community praised the new addition to the town as extraordinary and worthy of imitation. Trinity Church on Wall Street made a generous donation of 2,000 dollars towards the building of the church. The church was consecrated in 1841. It is the second oldest Episcopal building in the Wayne County and the second oldest parish. In August of 1994, the Grace Church Complex was placed on National and State Register of Historic Sites.
The Exterior
Grace Church is constructed of limestone, quarried in Sheldrake, New York. The Tudor Gothic design of the church features a 60 foot, three storied tower at the entrance. Inside the tower resides an original spiral staircase that leads to two church bells that are rung before and after each service. The elder of the two bells is reserved for communion. The church gracefully recedes back from the tower and from the road. The church walls and tower have stepped buttresses with weatherings at each of the four corners that rise above the copper roof and are crowned with pinnacles. The north and south walls have four bays of round arched stained class windows. The east wall features two bays of tracery windows of stained class. The overall form of the church imitates 15th and 16th century British architecture.
The Interior
The main entrance of the church leads to a vestibule that connects to the tower room. The tower room houses stairs that lead to a second-story gallery and to the third-story bells. Past the tower room, double paneled arched Tudor doors lead to the nave. The open space below the gallery forms a narthex. A wide central aisle runs through the nave to the altar, flanked by rows of boxed pews. The boxed pews were built in 1840 and are constructed of Indiana poplar faux grained in mahogany with oak colored top rails. The chancel rises three steps above the nave floor and a pointed arch frames the opening between the nave to the apse. The apse is plastered with red and gold motifs surrounded by a deep blue ground and a red cornice. The ceiling was once adorned with the same painted design that is still present in the apse, but was covered with wood.
The Altar and the Organ
The altar that resides inside Grace Church is the original 1840 altar, featuring Tudor arched panels, is set beneath lancet windows. The original communion rail surrounds the altar. To the right of the apse arch is the 1839-40 organ designed by Henry Erben. Erben was raised in New York City as the son of an organist and organ builder. At the young age of thirteen he was apprenticed to an organ builder in Philadelphia. While apprenticing, he aided in the construction of an organ for St. John’s Episcopal Church in New York City, a mission church of Holy Trinity Church on Wall Street, which is the mother church of Grace Episcopal. At the age of 22, Erben became a partner in the Hall & Erben firm. Twelve years later, Erben established his own firm. In the following years, he went on to build over three hundred organs through out New York, Chicago, Detroit, Albany, New Orleans, Charleston, Hartford and Rochester. Only four of Erben’s organs are known to still exist.
The Stained Glass Windows
The windows throughout the church are from over four different time periods, although some cannot be fully dated. The first window on the south aisle of the nave depicts Jesus as the good shepherd with St. Luke holding a pen and parchment. The second window depicts Jesus as the good shepherd as well. The adjacent window was created by Charles Booth in both London and New York City. Booth’s window depicts Jesus and two disciples on the walk to Emmaus.
On the north aisle, the first window portrays Christ, St. Michael and the archangel Gabriel. The subject of the second window is the crucifixion of Christ and his ascension. The third window is referred to as the angel window.
The four rear windows were installed after the renovation of the church that occurred in 1859. The three lancet windows in the apse depict the Holy Trinity,
All of the windows are in the process of being renovated to prevent sagging in the glass and other weaknesses in the framing.
Sources on the organ and the history of the church:Pamphlet given out at the church on the
Finger Lakes Gothic Revival 