Did You Know? -The First Grace Church was built of simple clapboard
By: kjc
02/04/19 13:28
t was only 24 feet wide, 36 feet long, 16 feet ceilings and a brick foundation
As first built, the exterior of the building was clapboad with etched diamond shaped leaded glass windows. Decorative wood trim outlined the interior. It was only 24 feet wide, 36 feet long, 16 feet ceilings and a brick foundation....
On July 9, 1846 the church was first used for services, but, due to illness of the Bishop of New York (we were part of Queens County in those days and also part of the Diocese of New York) the building was not consecrated until April 13, 1847.
The clergy from Jamaica, Hempstead, Islip, Patchogue and Huntington were present. It stood back from a tree shaded road bordering fields and meadowland that ran to the waters of our south shore.
The north side of the road was dotted with the Victorian splendor of gracious homes, some bearing Algonquian names such as Unqua, "The Furthest," Sewan, meaning "shell," and [the] Massapequa Manor. The church was closed from Christmas to Easter as most of the congregation wintered in New York City. (Source Lillian "Lovey" Bryson, Massapequa Historical Society; Grace Church Web site, History)
