The rectory of Grace Church is called Babbitt House. I've always known this and known that it was named after the first Rector of Grace, Franklin Babbitt—there is a plaque facing where I choose to sit commemorating him. But I have often wondered how my place of worship actually took the form I am so familiar with today. The church buildings are handsome Gothic affairs of red and brown stone that kind of join at odd places as they try to tell the story of a congregation’s growth over the course of almost a hundred and fifty years.
It is a stately compound with a quiet garden (that unfortunately just lost the shade of a great old maple), church school, and gathering places for hundreds of people each week. It is traditional, in an English manner, and very contemporary, in a Nyack-kind-of-way, and it is pleasantly diverse. But still I wonder who brought this place into being.
There is nothing in Nyack like Grace Church. Walking down First Avenue, lined with clapboard houses, suddenly one is face to face with an English Gothic building modeled after something you know you’ve seen somewhere in the Cotswolds, or Essex, or in a Merchant and Ivory film. Beneath its stained glass rose window, a replica of one in Lincoln Cathedral, are two huge oak doors in the Gothic style that open into the sanctuary. There one is confronted with stone pillars supporting stone arches that in turn support great arches of oak that rise forty feet to the peak of the building. The carved oak pews are copied from early Saxon benches found in Surrey and the memorial windows styled after those in Tintern Abbey.
In true Gothic intent the eye is drawn past these, past the altar rail and brass eagle pulpit to the walls of the chancel. For here, rising above the carved marble reredos and framing the remarkable stained glass chancel window, is a beautiful mosaic mural depicting two grapevines. In full foliage, on a cream background, the vines bear the six fruits of the Holy Ghost: Temperentia, Justitia, Fortitudo, Prudentia, Misericordia, and Humilitas (Temperance, Justice, Fortitude, Prudence, Mercy, and Humility). Above them are the Greek symbols of Alpha and Omega, and arched over the whole is Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy). At the very peak is a dove, the symbol of Grace.
But who made this happen?
In reading the book A Century of Grace, published in 1961, I learned a great deal about this character Franklin Babbitt. It was Mr. Babbitt who literally pulled the timbers, stones and people together to form Grace Church. Let me tell you his, excuse me, our story.

Located on the west side of the Hudson River, some 22 miles north of New York City, is nestled the small Dutch village of Nyack. The area had been settled in 1671 and the village itself founded in 1813. In 1861, a few more than two thousand persons made their permanent home there. In May of that year the first company of volunteers left Nyack to join the Union Army. However, life in the village was little changed by the Civil War. As usual, summer residents came out from New York in June to stay at the Mansion House or the newer Pavilion Hotel.
In the fall Nyackers settled back to their winter life. Local industries included shipbuilding, ice cutting, shoe making, and farming. There were a carriage and sleigh factory and stone quarries along the river. On Sundays the "good people" went to their churches: the Dutch Reformed, Presbyterian, Methodist, or Baptist, most of which had been established for forty or fifty years. The oldest was the Stone Church in Upper Nyack, established in 1813. The river was still one of the main thoroughfares to and from the village. A steamboat service to New York had been in operation since 1827 and was to continue until 1870, when the railroad from Jersey City to Sparkill was extended to Nyack. (The terminus and roundabout were at today’s Depot Place.)
Back in the 1840’s, the Episcopal Diocese in New York had assigned a single missionary to care for all the Anglican communicants in Rockland County. In 1849, the village of Piermont, seemingly a more promising location, had been selected over Nyack as the site of the first Episcopal Church. In addition to his duties as third rector there, the Reverend Solomon Hitchcock had tried unsuccessfully to found a parish in Nyack.
In October of 1861, Franklin Babbitt, a 32-year-old Episcopal priest, boarded a sailing sloop in Tarrytown to ferry him the one hour journey to Nyack. He looked out over the three-mile expanse of the Tappan Zee at the hills to the west and the craggy hulk of Hook Mountain, which dwarfed the little village. This was not his first trip to Nyack. A few months before, as curate in Christ Church, Tarrytown, he had asked about what he was told was an "old Dutch place about fifty years behind the times." Since there was no Episcopal Church in Nyack, and even though the Bishop had tried to dissuade him, Mr. Babbitt had determined that he would build one.
He arrived at the dock at the base of Burd Street with few possessions and quickly found his way to the home of Mr. and Mrs. William Stillwell. Mr. Babbitt went immediately to work. A suitable temporary place of worship was found in a classroom of the Rutherford Institute, a boy’s school. On the second Sunday of October 1861, Mr. Babbitt was pleased to conduct his first service in Nyack. On October 30 a formal meeting was held to incorporate the Parish and choose the wardens and vestry.
Just when Mr. Babbitt envisioned the Church as it is today will never be known. But his new Parish was soon to learn that he was as practical as he was visionary. The first step was to obtain a building site, which he chose carefully and with considerable thought to the future growth of the community. The property had frontage on what is now Franklin Street between First and Third Avenues, within the pleasantly rural Dutch village.
It seems an amazing feat, but the building of the first Grace Church was completed in only four months and even more amazingly because the small congregation was only able to contribute a mere $77.49. The new church was a small wooden structure with its entrance facing Franklin Street. It was unadorned, almost Puritanical in its simplicity. The fourteen single pews were of hard wood, without embellishment. The altar was of simple design and there were no kneeling benches. However, it was the first home for this scattered Episcopalian congregation.
For financing, the new rector seemed to accept quite easily, as well as quite frequently, money grants from the Diocesan Pastoral Aid Society and interested out-of-town friends. However, he thriftily and conscientiously improvised where he could. Through the early years he was Rector, organist, choirmaster (a post he filled for 15 years), and sexton.
Numerically and spiritually, the young church grew rapidly. In less than a year’s time, Mr. Babbitt proudly presented a class of 19 applicants for Confirmation to the astonished and pleased Bishop Potter. The Parish was rapidly taking root in what had been considered unfertile ground. The group of skeptics, who had been among his original congregation, began to be greatly outnumbered by enthusiastic followers.

Building A New Grace
Among these new supporters was Emily Tillou, daughter of a well-known New York lawyer, whose family were summer residents of Nyack. They lived at the corner of Franklin and Sixth Avenue and began attending the little neighboring church. But for Emily this was not just another church-going episode in her life. She immediately became fascinated with this earnest young man and his tremendous dream. Having seen one or two photographs of Franklin Babbit it is difficult to picture him in a romantic role. A man so dedicated, so purposeful, so fired with one desire would seem difficult to distract. But this Emily was able to do. Despite Mr. Babbitt’s seeming preference for the company of men, Emily won his heart. They were married on April 9, 1866, at Trinity Church, Wall Street, by a pleased Bishop Potter.
The new Mrs. Babbitt began to give all her energies, as well as a goodly portion of a very solid bank account, toward furthering her husband’s goal. Hard work and perseverance accompanied them all the way. By 1868, the congregation had outgrown its modest walls and it was necessary to discuss future plans. As one might imagine, the congregation was divided on what to do. The majority wanted to enlarge their building while a few stalwart souls preferred the construction of an entirely new building made of stone. The minority was led by one Franklin Babbitt, who, as we might have guessed, was quite interested in ecclesiastical architecture..
A first Parish meeting was scheduled to discuss a new church and it seemed that everyone came just to talk and listen. How wrong they were when the awe inspiring Mr. Babbitt presented a fully fleshed out proposal for the church as we know it today.
When his congregation questioned his wisdom in attempting so costly and so large a church, he quoted Genesis “this is none other but the house of God and this is the gate of heaven.” When they predicted it would never be filled, he said “The very building itself will inspire all whose hearts are open to holy inspirations. It is what a church ought to be.” When some of them urged that they did not need any outward help to their devotion, Mr. Babbitt replied “that they must be far more spiritual and holy than the rest of us!” and he added, “anyone can kneel down and pray to God in a barn, or in a cave, or in the open air; but there is an old adage which can be applied even to the worship of God. A place for everything, and everything in its place.”
Mr. Babbitt told his congregation that “wherever there has been any kind of religion, its faithful followers have felt that their temples should symbolize the greatness, the majesty and the eternity of their God!” Who could resist the sincere pleas or thwart the courageous dreams of such a dedicated man? Within four weeks the vestry met and appointed a building committee who issued the following appeal: “that each member contribute a full days labor or its monetary equivalent, toward the excavations for the foundations of the new church.”
The site for the new church was partially occupied by the original building and it was necessary to move it a few feet (to the east) to make way for the new. Before year’s end the excavation had been completed and the cornerstone was laid with an appropriate ceremony by, again, Bishop Potter.
The major portion of money required to build and furnish the church was raised personally through the almost super-human efforts of the Rector. It was not an easy task but the man who would exercise the closest possible personal supervision over every construction detail was certainly up to the challenge.
The incident of “stone versus brick,” which is a parish legend, is indicative of his insistence that only the best materials be used and that craftsmanship of the highest quality be employed. In an early stage of construction, during a temporary absence of the Rector, the building committee decided that Haverstraw brick might well serve as a substitute for the more costly stone specified in the plans. No verbatim report has been preserved of the Rector’s remarks as he walked into the churchyard and beheld the huge stacks of brick before him. However, at a special meeting of the committee called for the following day, Mr. Babbitt delivered a dissertation on thirteenth-century English Gothic architecture, which must have been very enlightening and convincing. The bricks were returned and stone construction prevailed.
The constant struggle to raise money must have consumed Mr. Babbitt but he did not lose hope or let his followers do so either. Nine long years elapsed before the church was sufficiently finished for occupancy. Townspeople had dubbed the half-finished roofless walls and huge piles of uncut stone “Babbitts Ruins.”
On August 19, 1878, the outside walls were completed and the first services were held under a temporary canvas roof. On stormy Sundays, it was often necessary for the congregation to huddle together along the side aisles to keep dry. On one particular Sunday, just as the Rector began his sermon, his opening words were lost in the crescendo of a terrible cloudburst. The canvas was suddenly ripped open over his head. Although thoroughly drenched, he proceeded to deliver his sermon and at least his oratorical ardor remained dry. Into his discourse he interposed a few well-chosen words advocating the immediate need for a more durable roof. This drenching from the heavens lent support for a departure from his firm “pay-as-you-build” policy. A bank loan of three thousand dollars was obtained and the church was securely and permanently roofed. The loan was repaid during the next three years, and is the only instance of indebtedness incurred during Mr. Babbitt’s church building operations.
The original wooden building, incorporated into the new church and apparently refaced with stone, was given over to the Sunday school. On May 30, 1882 Grace Episcopal Church was consecrated by the 80 year old Bishop Potter. Before a large gathering of devoted parishioners, visiting clergy and townspeople, the Bishop praised Mr. Babbitt “whose persistence, perseverance, personality, marked artistry and technical skill, has made possible this great and glorious occasion”
Although this service of consecration acknowledged an architectural peak in the life of Grace Church, Mr. Babbitt realized its greater task was yet to be accomplished. “Its spiritual work can never be completed while its walls stand,” contemplated the wise man, “but will go on through succeeding generations until a far richer harvest will be gathered.”

Parish Life:
In the early years of his ministry, Mr. Babbitt had provided the parish with a stone rectory situated on the north corner of Franklin Street and Third Avenue. It was a fine house surrounded by a green lawn, English hawthorne and Norway spruce. Mr. Babbitt was an avid gardener and it was said that he took care of his garden as carefully as he did the souls committed to his care.
The Rector was certainly pleased watching his young parish grow. The choir had grown to 35 boys and, now directed by Mrs. G.H. Picard, was known as an outstanding music group. The rectory hummed with life thanks to the Girls Friendly Society and the Ladies Guild that Mrs. Babbitt had organized. An extraordinary man, the Reverend Babbitt gave tirelessly not only to his congregation but to the village. Many stories of his generosity and kindness abound. For the boys of his choir he organized outings, counseled and guided them and even sent some to college. He hired the unemployed and fed the hungry.
There were times when poverty was severe in the village and he asked and received money and clothes from close friends and more fortunate families to distribute to the needy. One year his running account at Tuttles Shoe Store was extremely high because he had an agreement with the proprietor to provide a pair of shoes for all the children of the village who were in need. In 1892 the rectory and the land adjacent to the church was sold and the present rectory on First Avenue was purchased. The money realized from the sale went to cover a debt of the church. Two years later, after 27 years of marriage, Emily died of pneumonia. Devastated by his loss Franklin Babbitt spent the following year abroad and twice submitted a letter of resignation. The vestry refused to accept the resignation and on June 15, 1886 the Reverend Babbitt resumed his duties at Grace.

The Twentieth Century:
The end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth found Mr. Babbitt continuing the busy life of a parish priest. The town of Nyack had grown and changed much since his arrival. It was no longer as Dutch in character nor as rural in atmosphere. The last of the shoe factories had closed its doors in 1900, but the new Willcox and Gibbs sewing machine factory had opened. Organs were being built in South Nyack by M.A. Clark, who had originally come to Nyack to install the organ at Grace. Crushed-stone plants had replaced many of the area stone quarries. Some summer residents had become permanent members of the community while others built larger homes. Fancier hotels like Prospect House and the Ivanhoe helped transform the town into a fashionable resort.
In 1902 the handsome square tower of Grace Church had been completed much to the pleasure of Mr. Babbitt and his congregation. The gymnasium behind was completed in 1910.
On October 13, 1911, the golden jubilee of the Reverend Franklin Babbitt as rector and founder of Grace Church was celebrated. About seven hundred people gathered to pay tribute to the modest man who had dreamed a great dream and accomplished so much for his community.
Afterwards he settled back into his normal way of life which by now had made him a fixture in the community. He spent much of his time making pastoral calls and living a life of thrift. As the years past he became increasingly frail in appearance, but his mind and general health remained good. His correspondence was voluminous and became even greater in 1917 when many of the young men who had grown up under his guidance went to war. He spent hours answering their letters and praying for their safe return.
In the autumn of 1917, Mr. Babbitt, at the age of 82, completed his 56th year as Rector. He had, by now, buried all his original parishioners; he had married their children and baptized their grandchildren. The parish he created was now a strong and vibrant family.
January of 1918 was bitterly cold but Mr. Babbitt still offered services while other area churches were closed. In mid January, he suffered a collapse followed by a few days at Nyack Hospital, and then was brought home to the rectory. Two days before he died the failing Rector called the music director and choir to his room and asked them to rehearse the music for his funeral. He wanted to make sure it was perfect. Franklin died, on Saturday, January 26, 1918. His funeral was said to be spectacular, with hundreds in attendance and the Church decorated as if it were Easter Sunday. His casket was covered in red carnations and the choir sang his favorite anthem, “I Heard A Voice from Heaven.”

Additional history to come. — M. LaPlaca