Church of Our Saviour (Placerville, California)
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The Church of Our Saviour is a historic Carpenter Gothic
Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...
church located at 2979 Coloma Street, in Placerville,
El Dorado County El Dorado County (), officially the County of El Dorado, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 191,185. The county seat is Placerville. The County is part of the Sacramento- Roseville-A ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, in the
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. The church is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California. On November 17, 1977, it was listed in 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 ...
as the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour. It was designed by English-born architect William Patton. With


History

The Church of Our Saviour was originally organized by the Rev. Charles Caleb Peirce on July 20, 1861, in the midst of the
California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...
. Our Saviours’ first services were conducted by The Rev. Mr. Peirce in the Old Court House in Placerville. The Rev. Mr. Peirce (he stated that he disliked being called "Father") expected to find a parish called "Saint Mary's Episcopal Church," that was allegedly begun in 1857. Unfortunately, the parish could not be found. There is no record of its demise. The new congregation continued to use the Court House as a place of worship, and it was not until 1864 that a move to erect a church building was initiated. The ladies of the church on the Fourth of July of that year held a ''faire''. They donated the proceeds from that event for the building fund. This was the first of many fairs that the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) held. Following this were a series of events; the final effort occurring in May 1865 when a three-day fair and bazaar was held, netting $1,200. At this time, the lot on Coloma Street was purchased and work on the church building begun. The Rev. Mr. Peirce was famous for his good character in that he is reported to "have looked for and found good in all people." An excerpt from C. E. Upton's book, ''The Life and Work of the Rev. C. C. Peirce'', illustrates this facet of his characte

''The Mountain Democrat'' newspaper in June 1865, told how the El Dorado Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons laid the cornerstone of the Church of Our Saviour. On December 23 of the same year the newspaper reported: “The opening of the new, elegant and beautiful Episcopal Church on Coloma Street will take place this Saturday evening with the annual distribution of books by Rev. C. C. Peirce”. Bishop
William Ingraham Kip William Ingraham Kip (October 3, 1811 – April 7, 1893) was an American Protestant Episcopal bishop. Early life Kip was born in New York City, of Breton ancestry, the son of Leonard Kip and Maria (Ingraham) Kip.Memorial Biographies, 130 He gr ...
of
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
consecrated the building on April 15, 1866. The completed church cost about $10,500. Architect William Patton of
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
designed the structure. Mr. [O. Taylor of Placerville built the parish building. When the Rev. Mr. Peirce died on March 14, 1903, schools and businesses closed in his memory. The first renovation of the church was in 1927. The cost of the work amounted to $10,000. In 1938, the second restoration of the church building was undertaken. The $4,000 project included repairs to the outside of the building, new paint and a new roof for the nave. The interior also underwent extensive repairs. A coal-burning furnace was added and the brickwork at the front of the church was laid. The paneling for the sanctuary was designed and installed. In 1957, chimes were given to the
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
in the memory of Fr. Peirce and other additions, such as the aluminum roof, were added. In 1976, the house behind the church was purchased and demolished to provide a much-needed parking lot. The old rectory next to the church was torn down and a new one-story building was erected with classrooms and office space. In 1982, more was accomplished. New composition shingles were installed following a storm that blew off half of the old tin roof. This happened during ''Holly Faire'' that year. The stained glass windows were repaired and three new beautiful ones were installed. Also a hand carved Corpus was hung on the plain wooden cross above the sanctuary. The
Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...
building that was built in 1976 was not adequate to meet the needs of the growing parish, so a new two-story building was erected with a capital funds drive raising about $110,000 and completed in 1999. A round stained glass window honoring the ministry of the Rev. Canon James Burnett was installed in 2003. A columbarium was installed in 2005. On this hill overlooking downtown Placerville, the Church of Our Saviour continues to be the landmark in the area that it has been since it was built. It is the oldest continually occupied church building in El Dorado County. The church and parish celebrated their 150th anniversary in 2011.


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in El Dorado County, California __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in El Dorado County, California. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in El Dorado County ...
*
List of Registered Historic Places in California A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...


References


External links


Church of our Saviour website
{{El Dorado County, California Churches in El Dorado County, California Episcopal church buildings in California Placerville, California History of El Dorado County, California Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in California Religious organizations established in 1861 1861 establishments in California 19th-century Episcopal church buildings Carpenter Gothic church buildings in California National Register of Historic Places in El Dorado County, California Churches completed in 1865