St. John Chrysostom Church, also known as the Episcopal Church of St. John Chrysostom and the Little Red Church on the Hill, is a wooden Episcopal church built in 1852 in Delafield,

Waukesha County, Wisconsin Waukesha County () is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 406,978, making it the third-most populous county in Wisconsin. Its county seat and largest city is Waukesha. Waukesha Co ...

. In 1972 it was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. St. John's is an active parish in the

Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee, originally the Diocese of Wisconsin is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America located in the southern area of Wisconsin. It is in Province V (for the Midwest region). The Rt. Reverend ...

. Its current priest is the Rev. Philip J. Cunningham. In 2020, it reported 95 members and 88 average attendance, with $112,495 plate and pledge.

Background

St John's was built from 1851 to 1853, a wooden structure with

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 ...

style typified in the vertical emphasis and the pointed arches on the openings. Local tradition holds that Robert Ralston Cox, a founder of the congregation, designed the church, With but Richard Perrin, an architectural historian, argues that the design is based on one from

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

's book ''Upjohn's Rural Architecture: Designs, Working Drawings, and Specifications for Wooden Church, and other Rural Structures''. Perrin observes that the shape and size of the main structure, the location of pulpit, organ and choir stalls inside, the triple window, and the detail of the interior woodwork are all very close to Upjohn's design. The only major difference is that Upjohn included a tower on the church, whereas St. John's has the bell house as a freestanding structure. Some of the ornamental detail also was added by local craftsmen. Carpenter Alden Kelly added the

bargeboards Bargeboard (probably from Medieval Latin ''bargus'', or ''barcus'', a scaffold, and not from the now obsolete synonym "vergeboard") or rake fascia is a board fastened to each projecting gable of a roof to give it strength and protection, and to ...

with incised designs and the

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or ...

inside the church. Blacksmith Jacob Luther forged the wrought-iron hinges to suggest tree branches.

James DeKoven James DeKoven (September 19, 1831 – March 19, 1879) was a priest, an educator and a leader of Anglican Ritualism in the Episcopal Church. Life DeKoven was born in Middletown, Connecticut and educated at Columbia College. In 1851 he was admit ...

served as the parish's first rector from 1855 until 1859. Bishop

Jackson Kemper Jackson Kemper (December 24, 1789 – May 24, 1870) in 1835 became the first missionary bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Especially known for his work with Native American peoples, he also founded parishes in wha ...

consecrated the building on May 20, 1856. On February 23, 1972, the building was added to the

. Notable previous clergy include

Arthur Anton Vogel Arthur Anton Vogel (February 24, 1924 – March 6, 2012) was an American author and prelate who was the fifth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri. Biography Vogel was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on February 24, 1924, son of Art ...

, fifth bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri The Diocese of West Missouri is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and a member of Province VII. It has jurisdiction over sixty counties in western Missouri running from the cities Fairfax in the north to Branson i ...

, who served as rector from 1953 to 1957.

References

External links

St. John Chrysostom website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John Chrysostom Church, Delafield, Wisconsin Churches completed in 1853 Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Episcopal churches in Wisconsin Carpenter Gothic church buildings in Wisconsin Churches in Waukesha County, Wisconsin Richard Michell Upjohn church buildings Richard Upjohn church buildings 19th-century Episcopal church buildings National Register of Historic Places in Waukesha County, Wisconsin