St. James Episcopal Church
National Register of Historic Places

St. James Episcopal Church

La Grange, Fayette County, Texas
Listed
June 17, 1976
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
76002026

About this property

St. James' Episcopal Church is a congregation of the Episcopal Church (United States) in La Grange, Texas, under the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. Its campus at Monroe and Colorado Streets includes its historic parish church as well as a sacristy, preschool, and parish hall. The community was first established on August 18, 1855, as Trinity Parish, with the Rev. Hanibal Pratt as minister. Around 1860 the name was changed to Saint James. Many congregants succumbed to a yellow fever epidemic in 1867, and the community suffered major floods in 1869 and 1870. Nevertheless, it continued to grow, meeting in an old school building it eventually outgrew. In 2019, the church reported 183 members; in 2023, it reported 141 members. No membership statistics were reported in 2024 national parochial reports. Plate and pledge financial support reported by the church in 2024 was $342,702. Average Sunday Attendance ASA reported in 2024 was 91 persons. This was a relative decrease on ASA of 110 in 2020. The Rev. W.G.W. Smith arrived in 1876, after the Reconstruction Era, and became its first full-time rector in 1881. Influenced by the Oxford Movement, he retained noted Gothic Revival architect Richard M. Upjohn in 1883 to design the current structure. After a period of fundraising, the cornerstone for the present building was laid on February 5, 1885, on land bequeathed for that purpose by prominent local residents Benjamin and Georgiana Shropshire in 1868. The church was formally consecrated on February 28, 1886.

Location

La Grange, Fayette County, Texas
29.90794, -96.87379

Categories

ARCHITECTURERELIGION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Fayette County Courthouse Square Historic District
Listed
0.3 mi
Fayette County Courthouse and Jail
Industrial
0.4 mi
Faison, Nathaniel W., House
Industrial
0.6 mi
State Highway 71 Bridge at the Colorado River
Industrial
1 mi
Kreische, Henry L., Brewery and House
Industrial
1.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was St. James Episcopal Church listed on the National Register?

St. James Episcopal Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 17, 1976.

What type of historic resource is St. James Episcopal Church?

St. James Episcopal Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for St. James Episcopal Church?

The period of significance for St. James Episcopal Church is recorded as the industrial era.

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