Welcome to The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd
Hansford, WV

The history of Good Shepherd Church begins with the chapel services started in 1901 on the grounds of the Sheltering Arms Hospital.  In 1888 the establishment of the hospital on the hillside overlooking lock and dam No. 3 on the Kanawha River brought more people of the Episcopal faith and was a great joy for the first Bishop of West Virginia, The Rt. Rev. G. W. Peterkin, DD, L.L.D.

In 1906 the mission chapel was built on the adjacent grounds to the hospital and the bell, reclaimed from the old Union church, was rehung.   The hospital performed a great service for the surrounding communities from the turn of the century through the war years.  (Both WWI & Mine Wars).  The chapel served patients, staff and townspeople. For economic reasons the hospital closed January 1923, after an agreement with the new Charleston General Hospital to care for its patients.

​In 1941 the State Road Commission, in re-building route 61, undercut the mountain where the Sheltering Arms and Good Shepherd Church stood.  Through 1942 and 1943 there were several landslides and slippage of the hill.  By March 1943 the chapel on the hill had to be abandoned.  Plans were made for a new church building to be erected down in town. 
The site for the new church was given by Mrs. Eleanor Baillie Brannon and Mrs. Mary Baillie Schroeder, descendants of Felix Hansford, in memory of their parents.  On March 31, 1943 ground was broken for the basement.  War conditions caused a delay in securing materials and labor so construction was slow.
On July 7, 1943 the cornerstone was laid by Captain Albert Sayre, C.A. in the presence of the congregation.  The first service was held on November 5, 1944 with the Rt. Rev. R. E. L. Strider celebrating Holy Eucharist. On November 4, 1945 Bishop Strider held the Service of Consecration. 
This was the only Episcopal church to be erected in the Diocese of West Virginia during World War II.