Saving Grace

The Lincoln Preservation Foundation has announced that their signature restoration project, Saving Grace, is well underway at the African American Grace Heritage Site in the village of Lincoln.

Grace is an early African American church founded in 1872 and built in 1885. Once the thriving center of community for local Black residents, the church was abandoned in 1949 after the Black population shifted and most congregants moved to Purcellville.

Efforts began 20 years ago to rescue the deteriorated stone structure, spearheaded by Lincoln Preservation Foundation’s founder, Carol Morris Dukes. Today, the project is a joint collaboration between LPF and descendants of the former congregation, Friends of Grace, a non-profit led by Jeffrey Jackson.

Outstanding volunteer support and financial gifts from individuals and organizations resulted in today’s milestone, including several pump-priming grants from the Loudoun Preservation Society. A substantial financial gift from the Goose Creek Meeting and a large Commonwealth History Fund grant from the Virginia Museum of History & Culture put fundraising efforts over the top this year.

Cochran’s Stone Masonry has begun work on removing and rebuilding the entire roof structure, using time-honored craftsmanship to replicate the original. Lincoln Preservation is grateful to their collaborators, the Friends of Grace, for sharing a common vision for Saving Grace. For more information on this African American landmark, visit savinggraceproject.org or lincolnpreservation.org.