The first Episcopal church service in Grass Valley was held on April 23, 1854. Emmanuel Episcopal Church organized as a parish and adopted its constitution in April 1855. The early services were held in the old Masonic Hall on Main Street. The first rector was Reverend W. H. Hill. In 1856, when the Masonic Hall was destroyed by fire, services were moved to the Sons of Temperance Hall on Church Street.

On December 11, 1856, the Gold Hill Mining Company donated a valuable piece of land to the parish. The property was bounded by Church, Walsh, and Mill Streets. The land was given on the condition that a church edifice be erected within 18 months. The offer was gladly accepted and the present Emmanuel Church was built at a cost of $6,000 and opened for worship on August 1, 1858. Construction was completed by November of that year. The architect was William Bettis, a native of New York State. It is one of the few remaining examples of carpenter-Gothic architecture. The church is built of wood on a stone base.

The present rectory was built in 1901. Mr. Fox was the architect and the actual cost was $2,355. It was financed by a $1,000 bequest from the Polglase estate, the sale of church property facing Mill Street, and private subscriptions. The parish hall was erected in 1937 under the direction of the Reverend Charles Washburn.

Many treasured components of the church have been given over its 150 year history and details of those gifts are recorded in the Memorial book.  

Memorial gifts, bequests, and donations for the restoration of the historic rectory are welcome.

Please call the main office for details.