St. James Episcopal Church at 76 Federal Street at the corner of Huntington Street in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...

is a historic church in the

Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut (also known as The Episcopal Church in Connecticut) is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the entire state of Connecticut. It is one of the nine original dioceses ...

. The congregation was founded in 1725, and the current church – the congregation's third – was built from 1847 to 1850 to designs in the

Gothic Revival style Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

Richard Upjohn Richard Upjohn (22 January 1802 – 16 August 1878) was a British-American architect who immigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to popula ...

. The building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2004.

History and architecture

First church

St. James was formed on June 6, 1725, and the first building, a wooden structure located on New London's Parade, was opened in 1732. An arrow was shot into the gilt wooden ball at the top of the steeple by the chief of a visiting Native American delegation. The arrow hung there until the church was destroyed in 1781. During the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, a number of the Parish members were

loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

. Services stopped between mid-1775 and the fall of 1778 since tensions were high regarding the use of prayers for the King and Royal Family, and in 1778, the Parish voted "that no person be permitted to...act as a pastor...unless he openly prays for Congress...." The church was destroyed by a fire set in New London on September 6, 1781 during the

Battle of Groton Heights The Battle of Groton Heights (also known as the Battle of Fort Griswold, and occasionally called the Fort Griswold massacre) was a battle of the American Revolutionary War fought on September 6, 1781 between a small Connecticut militia force le ...

. "St. James Episcopal Church, New London (1850)"
Historic Buildings of New London British forces in New London during that engagement were under the command of Brigadier General

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...

, a native of nearby

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

Samuel Seabury

After his consecration in

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

Scotland on November 14, 1784, as the first bishop of the

Episcopal Church (United States) The Episcopal Church (TEC), also known as the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (PECUSA), is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, based in the United States. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is ...

, Bishop

Samuel Seabury Samuel Seabury (November 30, 1729February 25, 1796) was the first American Episcopal bishop, the second Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and the first Bishop of Connecticut. He was a leading Loyalis ...

(1729–1796) returned to New London in 1785 as rector of St. James. He died in New London on February 25, 1796, and is now buried in Hallam Chapel located in the

undercroft An undercroft is traditionally a cellar or storage room, often brick-lined and Vault (architecture), vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. In modern usage, an undercroft is generally a ground (street-level) area whi ...

of St. James. A

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

is located on the north side of the

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

, and his original grave slab is located outdoors on the north side of the church, now covered by a duplicate.

Second church

A new church was consecrated on September 20, 1787, near the current site of the Salvation Army building in New London. This was the building that served Bishop Seabury. As the Parish began to grow during the mid-1800s, it was clear that a larger building was needed.

Third church

This building, the congregation's current one, was designed by English-born architect

in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style. The cornerstone was laid November 3, 1847, and the church was consecrated on June 11, 1850. It was built in a cruciform style with north and south transepts. There is a very prominent bell tower on the northwest corner. St. James is an excellent example of Upjohn's architectural style. It is notable that St. James was started the year after Upjohn completed

Trinity Church (Manhattan) Trinity Church is a historic parish in the Episcopal Diocese of New York, whose church is located at 89 Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway opposite Wall Street, in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New Yor ...

. The New York Ecclesiological Society criticized Upjohn for the "moorish" design of the roof bracing in St. James, however, it was well received locally.

Rectory

The rectory is located on Huntington St. in one of four

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

houses built between 1835 and 1845 known as Whale Oil Row. This row of buildings is unique in Connecticut, and possibly the United States, and documents the lifestyle of their wealthy owners who worked in the whaling industry of that time.

Stained glass windows

Henry E. Sharp windows

The original stained glass windows (including the Altar window) were installed in 1850 and are believed to have been designed by the Henry E. Sharp Studio in New York. Many of them have been replaced over the years, but several

grisaille Grisaille ( or ; , from ''gris'' 'grey') means in general any European painting that is painted in grey. History Giotto used grisaille in the lower registers of his frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua () and Robert Campin, Jan van Ey ...

style windows remain.

Louis Comfort Tiffany windows

Starting in 1910, six of the original windows were replaced with memorial windows made by Tiffany Studio in New York. The large Tiffany windows in the north and south transepts are magnificent examples of the art form. The south transept window depicts three saints; Sebastian, Joseph (holding the infant Jesus), and Francis. It commemorates three members of the Lawrence family: father Joseph and his two sons, Francis and Sabastian. The north transept window shows the Holy Family and was donated in memory of Lyman Allyn. The wealth that made these and the other Tiffany windows possible was derived largely from the whaling trade.

J&R Lamb Studios window

The Mansfield Memorial Window was installed in 1922 by

J&R Lamb Studios J&R Lamb Studios, America's oldest continuously-run decorative arts company, is famous as a stained glass maker, preceding the studios of both John LaFarge and Louis C. Tiffany. During the voyage, their father died, and a sympathetic Scottish cou ...

and commemorates two friends who died during World War I. Nineteen-year-old Jack Morris Wright was killed while flying in France January 24, 1918. His friend, Richard Mansfield 2nd, also nineteen, enlisted after hearing of Jack's death, and died in an Army training camp a little over three months later on April 3, 1918. Richard was the son of famed actors Richard and Beatrice Mansfield. The window depicts the Archangel Michael unsheathing his sword behind two aviators. The lower window is inscribed with a quote from Isaiah 40.31: "They shall mount up with wings as eagles." Jack Morris Wright's letters from France were published by his mother in "Poet of the Air". In Jack's letter to Richard on September 17, 1917, he said: ''Therefore, in urging you, I also am warning you; but once in the game, you'll find that usually death serves as a stimulant to the vitality of life and daring of flying''.

Bishop Seabury window

Installed in 1962, this window depicts scenes from the life of the Rt. Rev. Samuel Seabury. The top panel contains seals of the Episcopal Church, the Diocese of Connecticut, and the two Scottish

Diocese of Aberdeen The Diocese of Aberdeen was originally believed to be the direct continuation of an 11th-century bishopric at Bishop of Mortlach, Mortlach in present-day Moray. However, this early date and the first bishops were based on a misinterpretation a ...

, and

Moray Moray ( ; or ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Its council is based in Elgin, the area' ...

that provided Seabury's

consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches ...

s. Medallions picture Seabury's election at Glebe House in Woodbury, CT; his consecration as bishop by Scottish Bishops

Robert Kilgour Robert Kilgour (1714–1790) was a Scottish clergyman who served in the Scottish Episcopal Church as Bishop of Aberdeen from 1768 to 1786 and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church from 1782 to 1788. He was an outspoken supporter of the Jacobi ...

John Skinner John Skinner may refer to: Politicians * John Skinner (MP for Maldon), 1391–1393, MP for Maldon 1391 and 1393 * John Skinner (fl.1395-99), MP for Reigate 1395, 1397 and 1399 * John Skinner (fl.1414-20), MP for Reigate 1414, 1415 and 1420 *John Sk ...

and Arthur Petrie in

, Scotland, his first confirmation, a typical sailing vessel of the time, and the second St. James Church, in which he served as rector.

Organ

The church has an Ernest M. Skinner Organ, Opus 220, made in 1913.http://aeolian-skinner.110mb.com/ It was donated to the Parish by philanthropist and railroad magnate, Commodore Morton Plant, son of

Henry B. Plant Henry Bradley Plant (October 27, 1819 – June 23, 1899), was a businessman, entrepreneur, and investor involved with many transportation interests and projects, mostly railroads, in the southeastern United States. He was founder of the Plant Sy ...

, in memory of his wife Nellie. The instrument has 43 ranks of pipes with four divisions and pedals, and contains 2680 pipes. Major tonal changes were made in 1952 and it was reconditioned in 2002. The modern console is mobile and is placed at the center of the

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

for organ concerts.

Silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

showings featuring live accompaniment on this organ are an annual event at St. James.

Mission and services

Among the services that the St. James congregation provides to the community of New London are a homeless shelter, a free community meal in rotation with other local churches, and The Jumble Shoppe which offers low cost clothing and household goods. In addition, its music program is one of its core ministries. Artists in residence include The Anglican Singers and the Eastern Connecticut Children's Choir. St. James has a companion parish relationship with St. Margaret's of Scotland, Aberdeen in the

Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney The Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Created in 1865, the diocese covers the historic county of Aberdeenshire, and the Orkney and Shetland island groups. It shares with the Roman Ca ...

References

External links

St. James Episcopal Church (New London, Connecticut)

The Anglican Singers, Artists in residence

Bibliographic directory on Robert Alexander Hallam (1807-1877, parish priest 1835-1877)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint James Episcopal Church, New London, Connecticut Richard Upjohn church buildings Religious organizations established in the 1720s Episcopal church buildings in Connecticut Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Gothic Revival church buildings in Connecticut Churches in New London County, Connecticut Buildings and structures in New London, Connecticut Tourist attractions in New London, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut 19th-century Episcopal church buildings