Old Trinity Church, Mason

Old Trinity Church, built in 1845, is one of the few remaining antebellum structures in Tipton County and the fifth-oldest church still in use in the Diocese of West Tennessee.  The quaint chapel served leading planter families in the area, many of them having migrated from Virginia, and communicants included Claibornes, Colliers, Hunts, Jetts, Peetes, Taylors, Tarrys, and Whitleys, some of whom were ancestors of Grace-St. Luke’s families. Of historical significance is the fact that more than three hundred enslaved people were baptized in the church, which eventually led to the establishment in the 1870s of St. Paul’s, Mason, an African-American parish.

Abandoned except for use as a burial ground, the old church became the site of an annual pilgrimage on Trinity Sunday, organized in the early 1920s by Judge John Y. Peete and others. Faithful descendants—black and white—still observe this ninety-year tradition that includes a service followed by dinner on the grounds. Today, however, the historic shrine (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) stands in perilous condition, having been declared structurally unsound. A committee has been organized to help save this diocesan treasure and hopes to raise a minimum of $20,000 for the necessary repairs. Donations can be made to the Old Trinity Fund and sent to Friends for the Preservation of Old Trinity, P.O. Box 99, Mason, TN  38049.

Won’t you please join us in our efforts?