Of Special Trinity Interest

It recently came to the Church’s attention that the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (Highway Marker Program) has authorized erection of a highway marker recognizing Mary Conover Mellon, who is interred in Trinity’s cemetery. That marker is being promoted by one of her descendants. It will be placed this Spring by VDOT in the “ vicinity” of the Church, to be determined. To ensure that the historical nature of Trinity itself is at least as prominently recognized, we have used this as an opportunity to request a separate marker to be erected along Route 50 by the state. We would ask for a location in front of the Church. The deadline for approving the final text is January 15 if we want it erected during the Stable Tour.

Although we are able to revise the proposed text of a sign before January 15 to reflect ideas from the congregation (there’s also a general 100-word limit), the language which is recommended (despite being 128 words) is currently as follows:

Trinity Episcopal Church

Founded in 1842 and rebuilt for the second time in the 1950s, the architecture of historic Trinity Church was adapted from churches found in the French and Swedish country sides with the guidance of noted philanthropist, avid horticulturist, and art collector Rachel Lambert Mellon (d.2014). Situated on a 35 acre tract, the Church features a rectory and a parish hall built around a central courtyard. Rich in Christian symbolism and reflecting the rural setting, the Church’s stained glass, iron work, and the wood and stone carvings were handmade by many of the master craftsmen who worked on the National Cathedral. Among those interred here are its principal benefactor, Paul Mellon, philanthropist and horse breeder, and his father former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew Mellon. Visitors are welcome.

Comments may be submitted to Jim Hoecker at james.hoecker@huschblackwell.com
Those comments will be relayed to the DHR

Did You Know?

“Trinity Church is the only church in Meade Parish, which is named for The Rt. Rev. William Meade, a former Bishop of Virginia.”

— 1 Profile of Trinity Episcopal Church – January 1979 ​​​​​​​

With the establishment of the settlement in Virginia by the English, the Church of England became the established church.  Following the tradition of the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church, parishes were established in Virginia, and each parish was served by a Rector who may have had one or more churches.  To differentiate each parish, they were given names and in our case, Meade Parish was the name given to the area served by Trinity – Upperville.

Bishop Meade (1789 – 1862) was born in White Post, Virginia, in what is now Clarke County. 

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Meade

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This will be the last article in this series of 33 “Did You Know” articles. I have enjoyed sharing some of the knowledge I have gathered over my years at Trinity.  It is my understanding this space will now be used to periodically update the readers on the ongoing repairs being carried out by your Property Committee to these amazing facilities.

Did You Know?

Little known facts about Trinity Episcopal Church – Upperville, VA

Guilds have been an integral part of the Episcopal Church for centuries.  The same is true at Trinity as several guilds have done much of the work for the church especially in the early years.  In the years prior to 1979, pledging was not widely accepted at Trinity.  Budgeting for the coming year was nearly impossible.  People gave what they could at the end of each year and if there were short falls, the Wardens would call on certain members to give an additional donation to try to “balance the books”.  Many years, the staff went without raises to keep from going into debt.

A primary fund-raising body of Trinity was the Mary D. Neville Guild.  Since this is one of the guilds at Trinity that has disbanded, it is important to recognize this important part of the church history.  The Mary D. Neville guild was composed of the women of the church whose fund-raising efforts made the needed repairs to the church and provided outreach both far and wide on behalf of the congregation. 

Two wonderful histories of the Mary D. Neville Guild by Mary Lee deButts and Lucy Keith may be found on the bottom of the history page on church website at www.trinityupperville.org/history.