Saint Paul's Church (Augusta, Georgia) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Saint Paul's Church |
|
|---|---|
View of Saint Paul's Church from courtyard 2
|
|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Episcopal Church |
| District | Episcopal Diocese of Georgia |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | parish |
| Location | |
| Location | Augusta, Georgia, United States of America |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural style | Colonial |
|
Saint Paul's Church (Episcopal)
|
|
 Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 6th and Reynolds Sts., Augusta, Georgia |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1751 |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000642 |
| Added to NRHP | April 11, 1973 |
| Website | |
| Saint Paul's Church | |
Saint Paul's Church is a very old and important Episcopal church building in downtown Augusta, Georgia. It's right next to Riverwalk Augusta. This church is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia.
Saint Paul's Church is the oldest church group in Augusta. It started in 1750 by the Church of England right where Fort Augusta used to be. Over the years, five different church buildings have stood on this spot. The church building you see today was designed by Henry Ten Eyck Wendell. It was finished and opened in 1920. This building can hold up to 600 people.
Contents
What Happens at Saint Paul's
Saint Paul's is a busy church with lots of activities.
Worship Services
The church has three Sunday services: at 8 a.m., 11 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. During these services, they celebrate the Lord's Supper, which Episcopalians call the Holy Eucharist.
- The 8 a.m. service is quiet with no music.
- The 11 a.m. service includes a choir.
- The 5:30 p.m. Celtic Communion is a calm service with music.
The main part of the church, called the nave, is open for quiet prayer from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to noon on Friday. You can find a guestbook and history guides in the entrance area, called the narthex.
Classes and Community
Every Sunday, there are Christian learning classes for all ages from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. If you have younger siblings, nursery care is available from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The 11 a.m. service is even broadcast on local radio stations WGAC 580 AM and WGAC 95.1 FM. You can also listen online!
Saint Paul's has a long history of helping the Augusta community and the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia.
- It's part of a group of downtown churches that help people who need food, medical care, housing, or money.
- The church's Outreach Committee raises money for local charities.
- They also have a "Manna Pantry" program with Golden Harvest Food Bank. This program provides healthy food to local families who don't always have enough to eat.
Hosting Events
The church has a special area called the River Room. This space is used for many community events. These include wedding parties, concerts, school proms, training sessions, and meetings for local groups.
Saint Paul's also helps athletes during the Augusta Ironman Triathlon in September. They offer a pasta dinner for the athletes, a place to drop off gear for the swimming part, and drinks and snacks for everyone.
Tuesday's Music Live
Since 1988, Saint Paul's has hosted "Tuesday's Music Live." This is a big concert series that brings famous musicians from all over the world to Augusta. From September to May, there are 13 concerts that attract about 5,000 people each year. They feature different types of music like classical, jazz, and pop. These concerts are free, thanks to donations and grants.
Church History
Saint Paul's Church was one of the first churches of the Church of England in the Georgia colony. Formal church services have been held here since 1751.
The Five Churches
There have been five Saint Paul's churches on the corner of 6th and Reynolds Street.
- The first church was a small chapel built in 1749. It was named Saint Paul's after the famous St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
- This first building was damaged during the French and Indian Wars.
- The second church was destroyed during the American Revolutionary War.
- A third church was built in 1786.
- The fourth church was designed in the colonial style. It burned down in the Great Augusta Fire of March 1916. This fire also destroyed many homes of church members.
- The current church building was dedicated in 1920.
Important Events
The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia was officially started at Saint Paul's on February 24, 1823.
During the Civil War, a special meeting of the Episcopal Church in the Confederate States was held at Saint Paul's in 1862. They made important decisions about their church during this time.
Rev. John E. Hines was a rector (leader) at Saint Paul's from 1937 to 1941. He later became a very important leader in the Episcopal Church, working for fairness and equality.
In 1968, Saint Paul's Church hosted another historic meeting. Bishops from the Episcopal Church met with bishops from the Anglican Church of Canada. It was the first time these two groups of bishops had a formal joint meeting. They talked about social issues and their relationships with other churches.
Saint Paul's Churchyard
The churchyard at Saint Paul's is a burial ground. Many important people are buried here.
Notable Burials
- William Few (1748–1828): He signed the U.S. Constitution for Georgia. His body was moved here in 1973.
- George Mathews (1739–1812): He was a Governor of Georgia and a U.S. Representative.
- Commodore Oliver Bowen (1741–1800): A naval officer during the Revolutionary War.
- Robert Forsyth (1754–1794): The first federal law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty.
- Ambrose Gordon (1751–1804): A Revolutionary War soldier and great-grandfather of Juliette Gordon Low, who founded the Girl Scouts.
- William Longstreet (1760–1814): An inventor of steam-powered engines. He was the grandfather of Confederate General James Longstreet.
Confederate General Leonidas Polk, who was also an Episcopal Bishop, was buried at Saint Paul's for a time after his death in 1864. His remains were later moved to another church in New Orleans. A plaque at Saint Paul's remembers him.
The churchyard was also a burial place for enslaved people and free people of color. In 1825, their remains were moved to a new cemetery called Cedar Grove. However, two black sextons (church caretakers) who served Saint Paul's for many years, Abel Wright and Benjamin Whitehead, were buried in the churchyard as a sign of respect.
Historic Records
You can find many old records about Saint Paul's Church online through the Digital Library of Georgia (dlg.usg.edu). Just search for "St. Paul's Church, Augusta, Ga." These records are helpful for learning about history and family trees.
The records include:
- Church registers from 1820 to 1937, which list baptisms, weddings, and burials.
- Marriage certificates from 1904 to 1942.
- Meeting minutes from the church's Vestry (a governing board) from 1855 to 1923. These show information about staff pay, building costs, and special events.
- A history of the church from 1906 and other documents about important people and events.
The Bells of Saint Paul's
The fourth Saint Paul's Church, built in 1820, had a single bell. This bell was made by England's Whitechapel Bell Foundry, which also made Philadelphia's Liberty Bell and London's Big Ben.
When the fourth church burned down in 1916, the bell was badly damaged. Its pieces were saved and later used in a new set of eleven bells for the fifth church. These new bells, weighing over 12,000 pounds, were made by the Meneely Bell Foundry in New York.
The new bells were officially dedicated in January 1924. They were first used for church services on June 1, 1924, playing a hymn called the Doxology. The largest bell has a special message: "To the Glory of God and in Thanksgiving for the Restoration of this Church. Destroyed by Fire, 1916, Glory to God in the Highest." On the other side, it says, "The Living to the Church I call, To the grave I summon all."
At first, people rang the bells using levers and ropes. In 1956, they were made electric. In 1985, the old parts were replaced with new ones from the Paccard Foundry in France. A computer was added to control the bells and play them at different times. Three more bells were added, bringing the total to fourteen. Today, the bells are controlled by a touch screen next to the organ.
Rectors of Saint Paul's Church
- Rev. Jonathan Copp, 1751–1754
- Rev. Samuel Frink, 1765–1767
- Rev. Edward Ellington, 1767–1770
- Rev. James Seymour, 1771–1781
- Rev. Hugh Palmer, ?-1789
- Rev. Adam Boyd, 1790–1799
- Rev. Hugh Smith, 1818–1832
- Rev. Edward Eugene Ford, 1832–1862
- Rev. William H. Clarke, 1862–1878
- Rev. Chauncey Camp Williams, 1878–1906
- Rev. George Sherwood Whitney, 1906–1924
- Rev. Julius A. Schaad, 1924–1931
- Rev. John Armstrong Wright, 1931–1937
- Rev. John Elbridge Hines, 1937–1941
- Rev. E. Hamilton West, 1941–1948
- Rev. Charles F. Schilling, 1948–1962
- Rev. C. Edward Reeves, 1963–1974
- Rev. Roderic L. Murray, 1975–1980
- Rev. Peter Glyn Thomas, 1981–1989
- Rev. Donald A. Fishburne, 1990–2001
- Rev. Richard E. Sanders, 2002–2012
- Rev. George Daniels Muir, 2013–2021 (Priest-in-charge)
- Rev. Dr. Eric C. Biddy, 2021-present
Organists and Choirmasters of Saint Paul's Church
- James Hewitt, 1822-?
- Louisa V. Marshall, 1838–1859
- Ella Ernenputsch, 1859–1861
- E. Clarke Ilsley, 1861–1865
- M. E. Webber, 1866–1871
- John Weigand, 1871–1892
- W. F. Harris, 1892–1895
- H. I. Solomon, 1895–1899
- J. W. Crosley, 1899–1907
- Leo B. Pomeroy, 1901–1909
- Louis Sayre, 1911–1919
- George Johnson, 1919–1926
- George Craig, 1925–1944
- Bernard Carpenter, 1931–1953
- Sarah Alvater, 1955–1962
- Preston Rockholt, 1962–1964
- Everett Summerall, 1964–1982
- Keith Shafer, 1983–present
See also
