St. James' Episcopal Church is a congregation of the

Episcopal Church (United States) The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop o ...

La Grange, Texas La Grange ( ) is a city in Fayette County, Texas, United States, near the Colorado River. La Grange is in the center of the Texas-German belt. The population was 4,391 at the 2020 census, and in 2018 the estimated population was 4,632. La Grange ...

, under the

Episcopal Diocese of Texas The Episcopal Diocese of Texas is one of the dioceses of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The diocese consists of all Episcopal congregations in the southeastern quartile of Texas, including the cities of Austin, Beaumont, ...

. Its campus at Monroe and Colorado Streets includes its historic

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

as well as a

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

, preschool, and parish hall. The community was first established on August 18, 1855, as Trinity Parish, with the Rev. Hanibal Pratt as minister. Around 1860 the name was changed to Saint James. Many congregants succumbed to a

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

epidemic in 1867, and the community suffered major floods in 1869 and 1870. Nevertheless, it continued to grow, meeting in an old school building it eventually outgrew. The Rev. W.G.W. Smith arrived in 1876, after the

Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

, and became its first full-time

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

in 1881. Influenced by the

Oxford Movement The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...

, he retained noted

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

architect

Richard M. Upjohn Richard Michell Upjohn, FAIA, (March 7, 1828 – March 3, 1903) was an American architect, co-founder and president of the American Institute of Architects. Early life and career Upjohn was born on March 7, 1828 in Shaftesbury, Dorsetshire, E ...

in 1883 to design the current structure. After a period of fundraising, the cornerstone for the present building was laid on February 5, 1885, on land bequeathed for that purpose by prominent local residents Benjamin and Georgiana Shropshire in 1868. The church was formally consecrated on February 28, 1886.

Church

A Stick style wooden structure (transitional between

Carpenter Gothic Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic or Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures ...

and Queen Anne, and thus sometimes described as either), the church was built by Carl Michaelis, a local contractor. The dark red, ivory, and brown exterior is dominated by a large bell tower, with the tower bell struck by the

Meneely Bell Foundry The Meneely Bell Foundry was a bell foundry established in 1826 in West Troy (now Watervliet), New York, by Andrew Meneely. Two of Andrew's sons continued to operate the foundry after his death, while a third son, Clinton H. Meneely, opened a se ...

West Troy, New York Watervliet ( or ) is a City (New York), city in Albany County, New York, Albany County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The population was 10,375 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Watervliet is north of Albany, ...

and installed in 1892. The exterior walls are shingled on the first story with

half-timber Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

decor on the second level. The interior features exposed columns and trusses of local

yellow pine In ecology and forestry, yellow pine refers to a number of conifer species that tend to grow in similar plant communities and yield similar strong wood. In the Western United States, yellow pine refers to Jeffrey pine or ponderosa pine. In the S ...

, with white plastered walls and ceilings. Its

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

windows are noted, but the artist or artists are uncertain; the parish speculates that English artist Charles Booth may have designed the elaborate Shropshire memorial, but that other pieces may have been ordered from catalogues. Rev. Smith is believed to have designed and built the altar, lectern, communion rail, and Bishop's chair, all of which remain in current use. Smith also designed the pews, built locally by the shop of Frank Reichert, and which also remain in current use. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

References

External links

St. James' Episcopal Church and Preschool
Wooden churches in the United States Episcopal churches in Texas Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Queen Anne architecture in Texas Churches completed in 1855 19th-century Episcopal church buildings Churches in Fayette County, Texas Richard Michell Upjohn church buildings National Register of Historic Places in Fayette County, Texas Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks {{Texas-church-stub

Church

See also

References

External links