History of Meade Memorial Episcopal Church

          

With the approval of the  Diocese of Virginia's Annual Council of 1868 the members of Cunningham Chapel Parish, who lived in the "White Post" vicinity organized the Meade Memorial Church, Greenway Court Parish.

              

The church was named in memory of The Right Reverend William Meade, the third Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia and a native of the White Post area.  Many family members are buried in the church cemetery and relatives can still be found here.   A Bishop Meade Road is nearby.

               

Interestingly enough, there are presently two Meade Memorial Churches in the Diocese of Virginia.  The other is a historically black congregation in Alexandria and honors the Bishop's ministry to African-Americans in the Civil War era.

                

A cornerstone for the White Post church building was laid in 1872, and it was built using bricks removed from a house which burned on the church site some years before.   The Church was consecrated (set aside for sacred use) on July 13, 1875, and the congregation's mission and ministry continued for over ninety years.  Decline had set in and in 1967 the Church was closed due to lack of members.   Only occasional services were held after that time.

                

In 1996, on the initiative of some of the former members, Meade Memorial Episcopal Church was reopened as a mission of the Diocese of Virginia and resumed regular Sunday Services.