8) St. Mark’s Episcopal Church was organized at St. Tammany, VA (currently known as Bracey, VA) in 1883. Beginning in 1885, the Rev. Joseph W. Carroll, a deacon, served as priest of the congregation. The church prospered under his inspired leadership. The old church building burned on Easter Sunday in 1923. The parishioners and community worked together and rebuilt St. Mark’s in two years. Worship service began in the new building in 1925. It is still currently used today for worship services, weddings, funerals, and other religious activities. St. Mark’s would, in time, increase its membership to become at one stage in history, one of the largest Black rural Episcopal congregations in the nation.
Bracey History Project 