St. Philip's Episcopal Church (Germanton, North Carolina) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
St. Philips Episcopal Church
|
|
 |
|
 Location in North Carolina
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Building was removed by episcopal church |
|---|---|
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1894 |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 82003516 |
| Added to NRHP | July 15, 1982 |
St. Philips Episcopal Church, also called St. Philips Church, was a special old church building. It was located in Germanton, a town in Stokes County, North Carolina. This church was built in 1890 and officially opened in 1894.
The building was designed in a style called Gothic Revival. This means it looked a bit like old European churches, with pointed arches and tall windows. It was made of wood, using a method called board-and-batten, where wide boards are covered with thin strips (battens) to protect them. The church also had a two-part tower with a belfry (a place for bells) at the corner.
St. Philips Episcopal Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. This list includes important places that are worth saving because of their history.
Why the Church Moved
For many years, starting in the early 1980s, not many people attended services at St. Philips Church regularly. Only one or two services were held each year, usually around Thanksgiving or for special events. Money left by former church members, called endowments, helped pay for the building's upkeep. Grants from the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina (a church region) also helped. A special committee from the Diocese looked after the church.
However, the people who ran this committee moved away. No new leaders stepped forward from other Episcopal churches nearby. Because of this, the committee was eventually closed down by the Diocese. The church leaders decided that moving the building was the best way to save it. They called this "preservation via adaptive reuse," meaning they would save the building by giving it a new purpose.
In 2012, news reports said the Diocese planned to move the church building to Chapel Hill. There, it would become the new home for another church group, the Episcopal Church of the Advocate. Bishop Michael Curry, a leader in the Episcopal Diocese, explained why. He said the church building was made for prayer and worship. He believed that keeping it as a place of worship was the best way to honor its history.
Some people in Stokes and Forsyth Counties wanted to keep the church in Germanton. They formed a group called the Friends of St. Philips Church of Germanton. They hoped to find a way for the church to stay in its original spot. This group wanted the church to continue as a place for worship and art events. Another group also started meeting in Germanton, hoping to use the church. But they could not get permission before the building was moved in the fall of 2012.
