{"nrhp_refnum":"80001087","name":"Grace Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Wilson and Greene Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Clarkesville","county":"Habersham County","state":"GA","lat":34.61610751400008,"lon":-83.52310819299998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-02-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Grace Church (Grace-Calvary Episcopal Church) is a Greek Revival frame church at the corner of Wilson and Greene Streets in Clarkesville, Habersham County, Georgia, built in 1839-42 on less than one acre.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the oldest Episcopal church in Georgia that remains essentially unaltered, and a good example of Greek Revival church architecture. It was the sixth Episcopal church established in Georgia, and the state's first bishop was elected there in 1840. Its 1845 tracker-action organ by Henry Erben adds musical significance.","narrative":"Grace Church is a Greek Revival frame church on the corner of Wilson and Greene Streets in Clarkesville, Georgia, one block from the town's business district. Built in 1839-42 with mortise-and-tenon construction, it has a two-story portico with four square columns, tall multi-paned windows with original hand-blown glass, and a two-part belfry holding a bell cast in 1852. Inside, box pews of handhewn pine, a rear balcony and a central pulpit remain as first built. The congregation began in 1838 among summer visitors escaping the coastal heat. Architect Jarvis Van Buren, also known for work with Georgia fruit, designed it. The church was the sixth Episcopal congregation in Georgia, and in 1840 Stephen Elliott Jr. was elected there as the state's first Episcopal bishop. Its 1845 tracker-action organ was built by Henry Erben, a leading nineteenth-century organ builder. Only electricity and foundation fill have altered the building, which is still in use.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 (specific dates 1839-42)","architect_builder":"Jarvis Van Buren","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in religious use; the church is in excellent condition. It was restored in 1975, and a 1950 parish hall (enlarged 1978) is noncontributing.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:41.508875-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/80001087.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001087/dea7f192c9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001087/dea7f192c9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jerrye &amp; Roy Klotz, MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GRACE_CHURCH_(CALVARY_EPISCOPAL),_HABERSHAM_COUNTY.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerrye &amp;amp; Roy Klotz, MD</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GRACE_CHURCH_(CALVARY_EPISCOPAL),_HABERSHAM_COUNTY.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93206194","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Church_(Clarkesville,_Georgia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55612876"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/habersham-county/grace-church-80001087/"}