Dramatically situated on a steep terraced knoll and embraced on three sides by its historic cemetery, the church inspired the name of the Church Hill community. Founded in 1820, the state’s oldest Episcopal congregation occupies this, its third building. Constructed by Nathaniel L. Carpenter, it is one of Mississippi’s most significant Gothic Revival churches for its hammer-beam ceiling and original furnishings. The brick church is finished in stucco that was originally tinted and scored to resemble brown-stone. Inside, the beams, braces, rafters, and ceiling are finished in oak graining that is signed and dated by three of the grainers. Stained glass lancet windows and a rose window on the facade light the nave. The altar is divided into panels decorated with strapwork designs, and the matching semi-octagonal lectern and pulpit are carved with Gothic motifs. Also original are the pews, chairs, marble font, and pipe organ.
Across Church Hill Road, Wagner’s Store was built c. 1875 for Jewish immigrants from France, cousins Isaac Marx and Emile Moser. The store, which closed in 1998, served as the post office from 1892 until 1992. The front-gabled board-and-batten building with a three-bay facade and shed-roofed porch was expanded c. 1900 by a single bay. A parapet with a central tablet was added to provide symmetry.