Norborne Parish was formed in 1771 from old Frederick Parish and named for Norborne Berkeley, Lord Botetourt, a popular Royal Governor of Virginia. Originally it included the present counties of Berkeley, Morgan, and Jefferson. The first vestry included many who figured prominently in the Revolution and the settlement of the West, including Adam Stephen, Samuel Washington, Thomas Swearingen and Morgan Morgan, II. The first Trinity Church was built in 1776 and stood at the corner of South Street and Maple Avenue.
The building on the present site was erected in 1843 on land given by Elisha Boyd. The Rev. John Chrisholm was the first rector. Initially within the Diocese of Virginia, Norborne Parish became part of the Diocese of West Virginia when it was formed in 1877. In 1954 Trinity’s undercroft was excavated to provide rooms for classes and other activities. A new parish hall was built, the sanctuary was remodeled, and brick facing was added in 1966. Trinity hosted the Diocesan Conventions in 1967 and ully1991.
The Parish has had an historical commitment to outreach and social action. Persons of all races were baptized, married, and buried here from the beginning. In recent years, members have been leaders in Meals on Wheels, Alcoholics Anonymous, Emergency Food and Fuel Program, Berkeley Senior Center, Highland Education Project, Habitat for Humanity, the Peterkin Camp and Conference Center, Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship, Shenandoah Women’s Center, Coalition for the Homeless, Scouting, United Way, Coalition for the Homeless, C-CAP, and Hospice. In 1969 the Parish began Norborne Day Care Center. The Parish has been a founding partner in Associates for Community Development with St. Joseph’s Catholic Church which operates King’s Daughters Court, a home for the elderly and disabled in 1983.
Four bishops have gone out from Trinity Church: The Rt. Rev. Robert P. Atkinson, The Rt. Rev. Charlie McNutt, the Rt. Rev. Harry Lee Doll, and the Rt. Rev. James Wagoner. Many, many fine lay ministers from Trinity have served the Diocese and the community faithfully – (Mary Fish, Sarah Steptoe)
This is a parish with a splendid historical tradition and a dedication to ministry in the present and future. Grounded in Holy Scripture, our God-given reason, and the tradition of the faithful through the centuries, we seek to know Christ and make him known in a changing and challenging world.