Grace Episcopal Chapel is located in Rockville, a small town just south of Wadmalaw Island in Charleston County.
Originally called Church on the Rock, the chapel was built in the late 1830s to serve Wadmalaw plantation owners who spent their summers in Rockville to escape the heat and threat of malaria. Unlike many nearby churches, Grace Episcopal was spared during the Civil War.
Several improvements were made to the chapel after the war, including the addition of the chancel which was built in 1890. Following the devastating Sea Islands Hurricane of 1893, the chapel was used as a meeting place by American Red Cross founder Clara Barton, who came to Rockville to organize recovery efforts.
The chapel is included in the Rockville Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Several of my ancestors lived in the Rockville area. Some relatives are buried at St John’s. My maternal GGG Grandfather, Stephano Denaro and his wife, Johannah O’Mara, lived on Wadmalaw Island after the Civil War and raised 3 children there. Other ancestors, from my paternal line, also lived in this area. They were French Huguenots. I have visited this church once back in 2002 and am pleased to see these photos of it. I would love to know who to contact regarding church records for my genealogical research.