Celebrating 132 Years!

When one thinks about the founding of something, it is easy to drift into nostalgia, to romanticize the struggle, or to ignore it altogether. But the truth is that the founding of things holds a myriad of moments, all of which shape the space we land in today. All the years between then and now are shaped by all who touch it and invariably end up shaping who we are. They matter. They form us. They ground us.

On Sunday, February 22, our community gathered in St. Mary’s Chapel to celebrate Charter Day, marking 132 years since Chatham Hall, then Chatham Episcopal Institute, was founded. Joined by friends from Emmanuel Episcopal Church, the service wove together tradition and renewal, reminding us that our story has always been both rooted and evolving.

Chaplain Beth Barksdale opened the service by naming our intention: to honor our history and Episcopal heritage, to hear the story of our charter that forever connects our communities, to embrace learning and change through reflections from students and staff, to deepen worship through liturgical dance as embodied prayer, and to celebrate our shared life by passing the peace.

Matthew Keating P’20, ’22, ’24 opened us in prayer. In times when the landscape around us is shifting, we pause to remember a bold vision to educate young women of promise and purpose in the corner of southwest Virginia. We remember those who dreamed and worked and taught and gave and provided hospitality and modeled leadership. For these people, and their resources of time, talent, and treasure, we give thanks.

Our processional hymn, How Firm a Foundation, echoed through the chapel walls, carrying memory with it. We prayed a Collect first written by the Diocese of Southern Virginia around 1920 for Chatham Hall, asking God to graft into the hearts of teachers and students a love of truth, to increase in them faith and wisdom, to nourish them in goodness and beauty, and to guide this community to manifest the love of God in daily life.

Rector Sara Stephenson and Rick Dixon then shared the story of our charter and our enduring relationship with Emmanuel. In 1884, Reverend C. Orlando Pruden, Emmanuel’s new priest, traveled throughout Pittsylvania County with church member and lawyer Chiswell Dabney to meet families without a church home. In those travels, they recognized a pressing need for accessible education. Private schools were out of reach for most families, and public education was only beginning to develop. They saw an opportunity for the Church to serve its children.

With funding from Emmanuel members and local supporters, the school was chartered by Virginia in 1894 and opened that fall, with Rev. Pruden as president and Mr. Dabney as secretary and treasurer. In those fragile early days, Dabney famously said, “The school has not one cent to start with; its only asset is faith in the goodness of God.”

Even the land was a gift. After Emmanuel member John Gilmer died unexpectedly in 1894, his widow, Eliza Patton Gilmer, arranged for the school to be housed on their estate. She and her daughter, one of the school’s first teachers, lived there until the home burned in 1906. Emmanuel members shaped our earliest legacy, including historian Maud Carter Clement, among the first graduates, and Samuel Sours, the only male graduate in the Class of 1914.

At Chatham Hall’s 125th anniversary, Emmanuel offered a resolution of thanksgiving that concluded with a blessing: “May God continue to bless each sacred place as we work together, recognizing each has its own unique call. May God strengthen us to continue to work in the field of God’s redeeming love. And may God guide the vision of our shared work in this day and time.”

The morning then turned to the prophet Jeremiah, specifically Chapter 18:1–6. Chaplain Barksdale reminded us that Jeremiah, a seventh-century BCE priest and prophet, often used dramatic gestures to communicate God’s message. Yet he is remembered most for hope, for proclaiming restoration and naming our role as co-creators.

In the passage, Jeremiah visits a potter’s house. He watches as a vessel is spoiled in the potter’s hand and then reworked into something new. “Just like the clay in the potter’s hand,” the Lord says, “so are you in my hand.” Chaplain Barksdale reminded us that the shaping of pottery requires centering, as Mrs. Elsabé Dixon teaches those in the Whitner Art Studio. You cannot move forward unless the clay is centered.

Chatham Hall has been shaped and molded over all these years, and each member of the community, alumnae, parents, grandparents, students, employees, faculty, and friends, plays a vital role in that shaping. For 132 years, Chatham Hall has been shaped and reshaped, formed by those who came before us, those who stand here now, and those who will follow.

We are not passive inheritors of history; we are co-creators, partnering with the Divine to shape, sustain, and improve this place we love. Every act of focused strength and gentle pressure matters. Our creativity, intellect, and love, gifts endowed by God, call us to steward not only the brick and mortar and green fields, but the people entrusted to our care.

St. Mary’s Choir, under the direction of Mr. John Scott, offered The Call of Wisdom by Will Todd, a piece that ebbed and flowed like clay on a wheel, an audible reminder that transformation is ongoing. Students and staff shared personal reflections. The peace was passed. A liturgical dance invited us into embodied prayer as the Lord’s Prayer rose in unison. Emmanuel’s choir accompanied both procession and recession, binding our communities in song.

Charter Day is not simply about remembering 1894. It is about recognizing that no creation is finished. Like clay in the potter’s hands, we are continually being shaped. May we honor the legacy placed in our hands. May we commend it to the next generation. And may we continue to bring forth new life, beauty, truth, and goodness, together. 1894 and Forever!

Watch the full service below and join us for Charter Day in our Purple vs. Gold Giving Day Challenge on Tuesday, February 24, 2026!