Grace sits on a short track and is protected from the weather . of California populated by railroad workers , lumbermen , oilmen , and members of the military . In 1923 Grace traveled to Las Vegas where she remained for two years before moving on to communities in California , Utah , and Wyoming .
The End of the Track
Lodging is available at the Green Lake Conference Center .
arches . Like previous chapel cars , it included an organ donated by the owner of Estey Organ Company .
Grace was considered the finest of the chapel cars , in part because of its full-size bed ( others had bunk beds ), bath , and a kitchen equipped with a two-burner stove and ice box . The car included a free lending library that proved a big hit when visiting small communities .
Three passenger cars of eastern Baptists accompanied Grace on her cross-country journey to dedication ceremonies at the ABPS Convention in Los Angeles . From there Grace traveled to the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco to be placed on display and seen by thousands of visitors . Following the Exposition the chapel car spent a number of years in areas
During WWII Grace visited southern Utah to offer religious services to war plant employees . At war ’ s end the plants closed and missionaries were able to travel by car on improved roads resulting in little need for Grace or the other chapel cars . By then many new churches had been constructed and chapel cars were serving mostly as living quarters for their missionaries , not as places of worship .
In 1946 the American Baptist Assembly in Green Lake , Wisconsin , decided to establish a memorial to honor the work of chapel cars and their missionaries . Assembly members wanted an actual car for the memorial and made a special request for Grace . After 31 years of service , Grace was moved to what is now Green Lake Conference Center , where she is open to the public and still used , on occasion , for services .
David and Kay Scott are authors of “ Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges ” ( Globe Pequot ).
August 2022 | Valdosta Scene 41