St. George's Episcopal Church (Le Mars, Iowa) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. George’s Episcopal Church
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | 400 1st Ave., SE. Le Mars, Iowa |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1881 |
| Architectural style | Carpenter Gothic |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000797 |
| Added to NRHP | November 21, 1976 |
St. George's Episcopal Church is a special old church building in Le Mars, Iowa. It was built in 1881 and has a unique design called Carpenter Gothic. This church is important because it's one of the few things left from when many English people settled in Le Mars a long time ago. The church building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, which means it's recognized as a historic landmark.
Contents
The Church's Story
How the English Colony Started
In 1879, two brothers from England, Fred and William Close, opened an office in Le Mars. They wanted to create a place where English people could live and learn about farming. Many young men from England came to the Le Mars area to study how to farm in the late 1800s. Over time, more than 1,000 people settled here as part of this program. Some of these young men were from wealthy English families. They would go back home after learning how to manage farms.
Building a Place of Worship
To help these English settlers with their spiritual needs, a group called Grace Mission was formed. Their first meeting place was at Fifth and Hubbard Streets. Later, they moved to Apollo Hall.
The church congregation officially became St. George's Church on October 4, 1881. The church building you see today was finished in the same year. It cost about $3,200 to build, and the money came all the way from England. The church was officially opened and blessed on June 9, 1882.
Changes Over Time
The first leader of the church, called a rector, had studied at Cambridge University. The next rector had studied at Oxford University. By the 1890s, most of the English settlers had left Le Mars. So, the people who went to the church were mostly non-English residents. St. George's Episcopal Church is one of the few buildings that reminds us of the city's English past.
In 1963, a parish hall was built next to the church. This hall was home to St. George's Preschool for many years. Today, St. George's is still an active church in the Diocese of Iowa.
Church Design and Features
Outside the Church
The church building sits on a strong limestone foundation. It has a special design feature called a board and batten border just below the horizontal clapboard siding. The windows are tall and pointed, shaped like Gothic arches, with narrow covers above them.
The double-hung windows have different designs of colored glass. The windows on the south side of the church have unique cut glass. The pointed arch above each window is made of pressed glass.
There is a tall entrance tower at the front of the church. It used to have a small pointed roof, called a spire, but that was taken off around the early 1900s. The main roof was then extended to cover the tower. The wooden steps outside have railings that were rebuilt in the early 1990s to look just like the original ones.
Inside the Church
When you go inside, you'll see that the wooden benches, called pews, are the original ones from when the church was built. The altar, which is a special table used in church services, looks very similar to the original one. The pulpit, where the speaker stands, was added in 1892.
