The Martha-Mary Chapel is located on a knoll next to the Redstone Schoolhouse. Prior to the chapel’s construction, white pine trees stood tall across that hummock until September 21, 1938 when a hurricane roared through Sudbury. Known as the Great Hurricane of ‘38, it was one of the deadliest and most destructive storms to hit New England. In a journal entry written the day after the storm, one of the Inn’s hostesses documented the hurricane’s damage: 

“The sun shone brightly this morning. All was quiet and still. It was as if nothing had happened. Yet the storm was the foremost thought in our minds as we opened our eyes on this beautiful morning with its clear blue sky. It seemed especially bright after the darkness and turmoil of late yesterday. First, we looked out the window to see if that clump of tall stately pines were still standing on the top of the hill. No – nothing there but a heap of green.” 

The hurricane took down those stately trees, and with the wood of their trunks the Martha-Mary Chapel was built. The chapel was the fifth of six built by Ford and named after Clara’s mother, Martha Bryant, and his own mother, Mary Ford. The building's simple lines are modeled after the Bradford meeting house in New Hampshire with the steeple inspired by English architect Sir Christopher Wren. Construction began in 1939 and was completed in 1940 on Ford’s 77th birthday. The construction project was led by Roy Dressler (sawyer at the Inn), Daniel Blue (woodworking instructor), and Wayside Inn Boys School students.

After the foundation was laid using stone from the property, Blue led a crew of WIBS students to work alongside professional carpenters to erect the studding and to frame the windows. He also headed the project to build the Chapel’s steeple. The brick walkway was set in place with the help of students from all three of Ford’s schools, the Redstone, the SouthWest, and the WIBS, as well as Inn hostesses and staff. Over 200 people had a hand in its construction, which was completed by graduation in 1940. The building was officially dedicated on November 16th. 

The first wedding was held in the chapel on September 28, 1940 when guests attend the marriage of George Harold Walker Jr. and Frances Russell Bennett. In a journal entry, staff wrote about the ceremony:

“The most important event of this day was the wedding this afternoon in the Wayside Inn Chapel. It marked the first opening of the building to the Inn family and outside guests. The day was perfect, cool and crisp with a blue sky overhead. As the guests slowly wound their way up the curved brick walk, all eyes were on the beautiful structure ahead….Passing between two Corinthian columns and under the front portico, we entered. All was quiet….Through the windows the afternoon sun made shadows on the tops of tall pine trees. The Chapel itself stands alone surrounded by native rocks and rills and wooded hills. It is not crowded among other buildings. And so, we looked at the people who had gathered on this beautiful afternoon, we felt that every person, too, was by himself, was alone with his own soul.”

Today the nondenominational chapel is used as a venue for weddings, private functions, and Wayside Inn events.