A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF THE EPIPHANY

  The dream of establishing an Episcopal Church in Rockingham County, North Carolina, became a reality on September 16, 1844, with the formation of a congregation into a parish named the Church of the Epiphany. Among the original ten members who acted to form the parish were Dr. and Mrs. Edward T. Brodnax. The Brodnaxes were old friends of Bishop Levi Silliman Ives, second Bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina, and they had entertained him and had been confirmed by the Bishop in 1843. Bishop Ives had repeatedly visited in the County from at least as early as 1836, and had seen the development of much zeal for a church. In 1838, the Bishop said of the area; "the only thing wanting is a faithful minister."

  Responding to this "wanting" came the Rev. Henry H. Prout who stayed briefly in 1842. During the same year the Rev. George W. Dame, who had recently arrived in Danville, Virginia, began visits in Rockingham County. By 1844 the time had arrived; Mr. Dame secured the services of his kinsman the Rev. John R. Lee who arrived and held the first service on the first Sunday in August, 1844, more than one month prior to the formal organization of the parish on September 16^th.

  At the 29th Annual Diocesan Convention held at Fayetteville in May 1845, the Church of the Epiphany, Leaksville, was admitted into union with the Diocese, with Rawley Galloway as the Lay Delegate representing the Parish.  At the same convention the Rev. Mr. Lee reported that "the timbers have been procured for the erection of a church in Leaksville. It is hoped that it will be completed in time for use during the winter. The building erection progressed rapidly, for when Bishop Ives visited Rockingham County in October 1845 he commented that "a neat and convenient house of worship at Leaksville is now ready for consecration."

  In January, 1846, the lot and building were deeded to the Trustees of The Church of the Epiphany. The congregation nowconsisted of seventeen communicants, primarily doctors, educators and plantation owners. Dr. and Mrs. Brodnax contributed funds for the land as well as a large share of the cost of the erection of the church. Other first families belonging to the parish were Galloway, Joyner, Lawson, Martin, Wright, Henry, Lee, Nelson, Jones and Johns.

  A typhoid epidemic in September and October 1846 prevented Bishop Ives from consecrating the church at that time as expected.The Rector, Mr. Lee, had lost his wife, and several other members had died including two of the children of Patrick Miller Henry, grandson of the patriot Patrick Henry.  These children are buried in the church graveyard.  Nearly a third of the congregation was lost. Bishop Ives returned to Leaksville the following year and on June 13, 1847, he consecrated The Church of the Epiphany.     

   In its 157 years, the church has been served by 29 Rectors, the 30th being our present interim Rector, the Rev. Frances Cox. Many events of note have occurred during the tenure of these Rectors. Mr. Lee served a total of 23 years, performed the marriage of Stephen A. Douglas, senator-elect from Illinois, to Martha Martin, and ministered to slaves and masters alike.  The Rev. E. W. Gilliam, Rector from 1860 to 1863, added a recess chancel and, it is said, in 1863 he had the church decorated for Christmas for the first time. The Rev. Edmund Withers, Rector from 1863 to 1865, received much of his compensation in kind with subscriptions of pork, flour, molasses, brandy, wood and fodder. Two of the former Rectors have gone on to become Bishops. The Rev. Junius M. Horner became the first Bishop of the Missionary District of Asheville, later the Western Diocese of North Carolina; the Rev. W. Moultrie Moore, Jr. became a Suffragan Bishop of North Carolina and subsequently the Bishop of the Diocese of Easton, Maryland. When the Rev. Mr. Moore was Rector in 1942, the church suffered a very destructive fire in December from which the church did not fully recover until 1945, due in a great part to the war restrictions at the time. Bishop Penick attended the 101st anniversary of the church. The Bishop returned on April 7, 1946 to consecrate the rebuilt church.

   The Administrative Building and Parish Hall adjoining the church was completed in 1956. Originally used for Sunday Classrooms, it was named in honor of the McGinnes family. The Parish hall was named in honor of the incumbent and well loved Rector, the Rev. Roland Moncure. In 1965 an important addition to the church was the installation of a very fine Greenwood Organ, said to be one of the finest to be found in a small church. In 1996, during the thirty-year tenure of the Rev. Thomas Garner, the Christian Education building was added. It was named in honor of Warren and Louise Wilson, long time and very active members of the parish.    

   The church, now Eden's oldest church building in continuous use by a single congregation, is in the Greek Revival style. The original chancel in Gothic Revival style was replaced after the 1942 fire with a larger chancel in keeping with the original architecture.  At the same time, the window fanlights were also changed from the Gothic to the Greek style.

   The churchyard cemetery contains graves for a period of approximately 100 years, dating 1845-1945. After 1945, there have been ash interments in the cemetery.  A columbarium has recently been completed for additional interments.