Christ Church, Millwood Yesteryear
During the early years of the nineteenth century, nearly every Episcopal church from the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley into what is now West Virginia was established by the Rt. Rev. William Meade, third Bishop of Virginia, and fifth rector of our parish.
In April 1829, a committee was appointed comprising William Meade, Allen Williams, David Meade and Treadwell Smith, which called upon the Vestry to form a committee that would propose a plan of enlargement of Old Chapel, together with estimated costs. In the years that followed, such plan was proposed, but subsequently abandoned when a proposal was advanced to erect a new church at a yet more convenient site. According to Bishop Meade [Old Chapel, Volume II, page 288], "...it was found that the Old Chapel was too small and inconvenient for the increasing congregation, and it was therefore determined to erect another and a larger one in a more central and convenient place in the vicinity of Millwood."
The lot of two acres on which Christ Church stands was given for the purpose of building the church by Mr. George Burwell, of Carter Hall, which is situated across Bishop Meade Road from Christ Church and today serves as home to Project Hope. The deed by which the lot was conveyed to the trustees of the
church is dated April 18, 1832; however while building commenced that year, there are no records indicating the actual construction of Christ Church, Millwood, neither who built it nor at what cost. Construction neared completion towards the end of 1832, and a service was held to consecrate Christ Church Millwood on Christmas Day of that year. Building at the site was concluded in 1834.
During 1836, Clarke County separated from Frederick County, and without ceremony or other formality or designation, the church in Millwood became known as Christ Church. The official title as listed in the Convention Journal is Christ Church and Old Chapel, Frederick Parish in Clarke County. Hugh M. Nelson of Long Branch became the first layman to serve at Christ Church.
Following the shift of most of the congregation to Christ Church, Millwood, the number of faithful Old Chapel parishoners dwindled and services at Old Chapel became less frequent, evolving into little more than a record of those who, from time to time, have been buried in the Old Chapel Cemetery. To ensure continuity of use, the Parish Vestry resolved at its March 29, 1853 Meeting "that the Rector be requested to hold two services annually at Old Chapel, one in the spring and one in the fall." Today, the Christ Church congregation attends services at Old Chapel on Easter Day and on the second Sunday in September.
Source: Old Chapel and The Parish in Clarke County, Virginia, A History From the Founding of Frederick Parish, 1738 to the Centenary of Christ Church, Millwood, 1932, authored by B. Duvall Chambers, Rector. This extract has been condensed and edited. A copy of Rev. Chambers' book is available in the Parish Hall Library at Christ Church, 809 Bishop Meade Road, Millwood, VA.
Christ Church, Millwood Today...
Following a fire in 1947, Christ Church was rebuilt and is attributed as being one of the county’s finest stone churches of the Gothic Revival style. The church complex includes the Greek Revival-style Bishop’s Chapel (circa 1852) and a Colonial Revival-style rectory (circa 1910), which today serves as a Parish Hall.
Behind and Beyond Christ Church...
- The Old Rectory, turned Parish Hall
- Bishops Chapel, which today doubles as Christ Cares Food Pantry. The administrative office of Christ Church, Millwood are now in the Parish House (formerly called the Rectory).
- Memorial Garden
- Profiles of the Ministers of Cunningham Parish, 1811-1934
June 13, 1861: A Special Day in the History of Christ Church, Millwood...
Churches of Cunningham Chapel Parish
In 1832, we outgrew our chapel known as "Old Chapel" and built Christ Church in the village of Millwood. During this period, nearly every Episcopal church from the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley into what is now West Virginia was established by the Rt. Rev. William Meade, third Bishop of Virginia, and fifth rector of our parish. At that time, the parish was named "Frederick," for the county from which it was formed in 1733. One of our many missions, Christ Church in Winchester, requested the Frederick Parish name when it became independent, and we gave it to them, renaming ourselves Cunningham Chapel Parish.
When the railroad came through the town of Boyce (then called "Boyceville") at the end of the 19th century, the parish built Emanuel Chapel in 1912 at the crossroads of what is now US 340 and VA Route 723 to serve the thriving new railroad community of Boyce. In June 2010, the property was deconsecrated and sold and is no longer affiliated with Cunningham Chapel Parish.
Cunningham Chapel Parish grew out of Frederick Parish which was created concurrently with Frederick County in 1738 by an act of the colonial General Assembly of Virginia as an ecclesiastical unit of the Church of England. Cunningham Chapel was the first of three chapels of the parish. It was probably constructed in 1747, at a location three miles south of present day Berryville. The original log building was replaced by a stone structure, Old Chapel, that still stands today at a site near the present intersection of US Route 340 and VA Route 255.
Christ Church, Millwood today...
Ministers of the Parish
|
William Meldrum (Frederick Parish) |
1761 - 1765 |
|
Benjamin Sebastian (Frederick Parish) |
1767 - 1768 |
|
Charles Mynn Thruston (Frederick Parish) |
1769 - 1775 |
|
Alexander Balmaine (Frederick Parish) |
1785 - 1820 |
|
William Meade (3rd Bishop of Virginia) |
1811 - 1835 |
| Horace Stringfellow | 1835 - 1840 |
| William G.H. Jones | 1840 - 1847 |
| John Francis Hoff | 1847 - 1858 |
| Joseph Ravenscroft Jones | 1858 - 1881 |
| C. Braxton Bryan | 1881 - 1891 |
| John Poyntz Tyler | 1891 - 1895 |
| J. Courtney Jones | 1896 - 1903 |
| Edward H. Ingle | 1903 - 1905 |
| John Maxwell Robeson | 1906 - 1915 |
| B. Duvall Chambers | 1916 - 1934 |
| Robert A. Goodwin | 1934 - 1940 |
| Claudius P. Shelton | 1941 - 1942 |
| G. Peyton Craighill | 1943 - 1949 |
| Francis B. Rhein | 1949 - 1954 |
| James L.B. Williams | 1954 - 1958 |
| Frank Q. Cayce | 1959 - 1965 |
| Holland B. Clark | 1966 - 1974 |
| E. Guthrie Brown | 1974 - 1985 |
| William L. Martin | 1986 - 1989 |
| James Montgomery | 1990 - 1991 |
| Peter R. Gustin | 1991 - 2002 |
| C. Thomas Holliday | 2003 - 2005 |
| Anne Leslie Yount Manson | 2006 - 2010 |
| Karin Chambers MacPhail | 2011 - 2015 |
| Matthew W. Rhodes | 2017 - 2021 |
| Melanie K. Lewis | 2022 - Present |