The Chapel of the Good Shepherd has been a part of Ridgeway, North Carolina for 150 years.
Beginning early in 1870, Episcopal Services were held by the Reverend Mathias M. Marshall once a month on Sunday afternoons at the Ridgeway Hotel in Ridgeway, NC. Reverend Marshall, Rector of Emmanuel Church in Warrenton, NC continued to hold these services through 1872.
Wishing to have a church of their own, residents of Ridgeway acquired land for the church in 1871. Then construction of The Chapel of the Good Shepherd was completed in mid-1872. In May 1872 Reverend Marshall reported to the 56th Annual Diocesan Convention, “Mainly through the active exertions of a lady member of this congregation, the new and beautiful brick chapel, ‘The Chapel Of the Good Shepherd,’ is now nearly completed. We expect to use it a month hence.”
The congregation was officially organized and its first vestry elected in July 1872. Total cost for construction of the building was $2,873.27. A large portion of the money was donated by Dr. W. J. Hawkins, who also supervised its construction. The Chapel was placed on two lots, each measuring 100 by 300 feet.
On March 6, 1873 the Right Reverend Thomas Atkinson was the first bishop to visit the Chapel. He preached and confirmed one person. On May 29, 1873 The Chapel Of the Good Shepherd was admitted into union with the Diocese Of North Carolina during the 57th Annual Diocesan Convention. Good Shepherd elected John T. Williams, Charles Petar, Kemp Plummer, and Austin Plummer as lay delegates to the 57th Convention, but none of them actually attended.
The Chapel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in September 1977.
Many clergy have served Good Shepherd over the years. Among the most notable were the following:
Reverend William S. Pettigrew served from 1878-1900, and was buried in the cemetery adjacent to the Chapel.
Reverend Francis Joyner served from 1901-1913.
Reverend B. N. DeFoe Wagner served from 1923-1941. A talented woodworker, Reverend Wagner carved the beautiful reredos (decorative wall behind the altar).
One generation gives way to the next, but the flock of Good Shepherd continues to serve Christ in the Ridgeway community and the world.
The Chapel of the Good Shepherd 