Trinity Church, History A Short History and Architectural Discussion

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A Short History

Trinity Church was founded and built in 1774 by the Rev. Nathaniel Blount of Chocowinity.   Elected by the Vestry of St. Thomas’ Church in Bath to succeed the Rev. Alexander Stewart as Rector, the Vestry of St. Thomas recommended Blount for ordination, and, once approved, they sent him to London to study for ordination. The Bishop of London ordained Blount in St. Paul’s Cathedral in September of 1773. Blount returned to Beaufort County as a bonded missionary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, and in one his first acts he established a chapel in this community in 1774. Blount was an exceptionally active priest in both the Church of England and the later Episcopal Church. Blount died in 1816 and was buried on the Blount plantation here in Chocowinity. At the time of his death he was reportedly the sole Anglican priest in the state.

Giles Shute and John Harrington are named as the builders of the chapel. Blount built the chapel about one mile west of its present location on land that was later given to the congregation by John and Rhoda O’Hagen. Because of vandalism, the church was moved here in 1939 by Richard Carrow and attached to the parish house.

Trinity Church from the time of its establishment until the 1820’s was referred to as Blount’s Chapel, Bear Creek. The name Trinity Church presumably comes from the chapel’s association with the then Trinity Church, Tarboro. While built in 1774, the church was consecrated as an Episcopal House of Worship by the Rt. Rev. John Stark Ravenscroft, Bishop of North Carolina on Thursday, November 22, 1827.

In the mid-nineteenth century, under the leadership of the Rev. Nicholas Collin Hughes, and later the Rev. Israel Harding, the congregation supported the Trinity School which remained in operation until the early 20th century. The school is credited with sending many young men into the priesthood.

Trinity Cemetery is located one mile west of the church across the highway from the original location of the church on land donated by Miss Apsley Grist and Miss Penelope Grist. Many of Chocowinity’s earliest families are buried here. The monument in the cemetery is dedicated to the memory of Major General Bryan Grimes, CSA, who was an active communicant and member of the Vestry of Trinity Church. The congregation added the arch and the fence in 1999 through the benefaction of Mrs. Mary Wall and family, Dr. and Mrs. Simmons Patrick, and Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Winfield.

The Architecture

The church at the time of its construction would have been a simple chapel design with clear square pane glass windows. In a common practice of the era, the walls and the roof are held together with tie-rods. Two horizontal rods extend from the outside of each wall and attach to a vertical rod descending from the roof. In the original building, now seen from the second set of double doors to the great arch over the choir, there would have been a pulpit and a small, simple communion table. The oldest existing pews, possibly original, are located in the parish hall. There possibly would have been inscriptions of the Apostle’s Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer on the back wall. Some of the original clapboards are still evident on the left exterior wall of the church.

The congregation added the formal sanctuary, the area behind the communion rail, in the mid-nineteenth century. The narthex or vestibule was added when the church was re-located. The congregation added a gallery in the mid-nineteenth century that was subsequently taken down at a time not currently known to us.

The stained glass windows in the nave, the body of the church, were installed in the 1990’s. The stained glass windows by the pulpit and on the right hand side of the sanctuary are Geissler windows from the late 19th or early 20th centuries. They are in honor of two beloved rectors of the 19th century, the Rev. Nicholas Collin Hughes and the Rev. Israel Harding. The Harding window is a representation of St. Peter the Apostle and the Hughes window is a depiction of Christ as the great Shepherd of the sheep.

The painted windows over the altar are in honor of the ordination of the Rev. Nathaniel Blount. The windows include two major symbols the ordained ministry, Bible (preaching and teaching) and the Chalice and Paten (holy communion). The IHS seen on both the window and altar is a Latin abbreviation for Jesus Christ (I) God’s Son (H) Savior (S).

The altar and chairs are typical 19th century Victorian church furniture. The chair to the left of the altar is the bishop’s chair. The chair to the right of the altar is the rector’s chair. The small wooden "box" to the left of the altar is the Tabernacle in which is kept the reserved Sacrament.

The organ was built around 1869 for Calvary Church, Tarboro. Moved from Tarboro to St. James’ Church, Wilmington, Trinity Church acquired the organ from St. James in 1944. The organ is a tracker organ which means there is a mechanical, not electric, action from the key to the pipes. The organ is a rare historical instrument.

The congregation built the parish hall in the early 20th century in its present location and it served as a community center for Chocowinity for many years.