The Historical Society of the Massapequas hosts a Strawberry Festival in June and an Apple Festival in October at its Historic Complex on Merrick Road. Old Grace Church, the Floyd-Jones Servants’ Cottage and the Floyd-Jones Free Library are open to visitors on festival days, as well as other times by request. Visitors ask common questions about the three buildings as well as the adjacent cemetery property. This article will answer questions about the church and cemeteries. A subsequent article will answer questions about the servants’ cottage and the library.
Old Grace Church:
Is this the original church?
Yes and no. The church was built in 1844 on its current location, but was smaller and plainer. The vaulted ceiling and window behind the altar were added in the 1860s, the enclosed porch in the rear of the church and additional pews were added in 1905, as was central heating and electricity.
Why was the church built?
Floyd-Jones family members built the church for their convenience. They were thus able to avoid the long and tedious journey to St. George’s Church in Hempstead for religious services. There was, after all, no train service or paved roads at that time, so travel was by horse and buggy.
Is this an active church?
No. The church was Episcopalian, but was deconsecrated in 1981 when the Historical Society leased it for $10. It then became a historic building and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Are the stained glass windows original?
No. The original windows were removed in 1980 and were rehung in the sanctuary of Grace Church across the street. The current windows were purchased from a church in Delaware, New Jersey and installed in the mid 1980s.
Can people be married in the church?
Yes. The Historical Society allows marriages and vow renewals. The couple to be married is required to bring their own minister and to provide their own music.
Is the church expensive to maintain?
Yes. Like any old building, it needs ongoing repairs. As examples, the windows were resealed and reglazed about three years ago and the plumbing was replaced after the pipes froze last winter from the continuing cold.
The Cemeteries:
Does the Historical Society own the cemetery?
No. There are actually two cemeteries. The one surrounding the church is owned by Grace Church across Merrick Road. The cemetery behind the row of bushes is owned by the Floyd-Jones family.
Who can be buried in the cemetery?
Anybody can purchase a plot in the Grace Church cemetery, although none are available currently. Only Floyd-Jones family members can be buried in the rear cemetery.
Were there any recent Floyd-Jones burials?
Yes. Thomas Linton Floyd-Jones was buried in 2009.
Wasn’t there a building next to Old Grace Church?
Yes. Wylie Hall, named after long-time Rector William Wylie, was located to the east of the original church. It was used as a Sunday School and parish hall. It was torn down in 1962. Burial plots now occupy the spot.
What are the oldest headstones in the cemeteries?
Thomas Jones, his wife, Freelove and two of their children are buried in the center of the Floyd-Jones Cemetery. He died in 1713, and his headstone dates from that time, but his remains and those of his family were moved in 1892 from a plot near the Massapequa River south of Merrick Road. The oldest headstone in the Grace Church Cemetery is that of Sarah Secor, who died in 1869. It may have been moved from another location in 1892.
The last direct Jones descendant was Mary Jones, who died in 2009. She is buried in St. John’s Memorial Cemetery in Laurel Hollow, in a large Jones family plot. There are several Floyd-Jones family members—living in Amityville, Cold Spring Harbor, Alabama and Florida, and probably others unknown to this author.
George Kirchmann is a trustee with the Historical Society of the Massapequas. His email address is gvkirch@optonline.net.
