Chapel of the Cross (Mannsdale, Mississippi)
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Chapel of the Cross
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| Location |
674 Mannsdale Road |
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| Coordinates | 32°31′18″N 90°11′24″W / 32.52167°N 90.19000°WCoordinates: 32°31′18″N 90°11′24″W / 32.52167°N 90.19000°W |
| Area | 10 acres (4.0 ha) |
| Built | 1850–52 |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 72000698 |
| Added to NRHP | June 13, 1972 |
674 Mannsdale Road
The Chapel of the Cross is a historic Episcopal church in the Mannsdale area of Madison, Mississippi. The brick structure was built circa 1850–52. It is noted for its Gothic Revival architecture, which draws heavily from 14th-century English country churches. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 13, 1972.
The church was originally conceived as a house of worship for the Johnstone family on their Annandale Plantation, now destroyed. John T. Johnstone migrated from North Carolina to Madison County, Mississippi in 1819 and established Annandale. Tradition maintains that Johnstone was descended from the Johnstone family that once held the title Earl of Annandale and Hartfell in the Peerage of Scotland and that he named his plantation in their honor. He had envisioned a chapel for the plantation, but died in 1848. After his death his widow Margaret began making plans for the construction of the church.
Almost no primary records for the construction of the church survive, but it is commonly believed by architectural scholars that English-born architect Frank Wills designed the Chapel of the Cross for Margaret Johnstone. What is certain is that a sketch by Wills of an almost identical church, entitled "Sketch of a First-pointed church," appeared in the October 1849 issue of the New York Ecclesiologist. Practically identical churches by Richard Upjohn are also known, such as his St. Thomas Episcopal Church (c.1849) in New York City and St. Mary's Episcopal Church (c.1847) in Rhode Island. Johnstone had much of the work on the church performed by plantation slaves; they made all of the bricks by hand on-site. The rest of the construction was handled by hired artisans, with Johnstone spending a total of $3000. She deeded the church and 10 acres (4.0 ha) to the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi in June 1851. The building was consecrated on September 19, 1852, by William Mercer Green, the first Episcopal bishop of Mississippi.
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