St. James Episcopal Church (Wilmington, North Carolina)
Encyclopedia
St. James Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal
church in the historic district of Wilmington, North Carolina
. The church is part of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina
and is the oldest church in the city of Wilmington.
. The original church building for St. James was built and completed in 1770. The church took on a vital role in the American Revolutionary War
. British General Lord Cornwallis took up residency in a house across the street from St. James. The British used St. James as a hospital, and later as a riding school to train the British soldiers. The church was torn down and rebuilt in 1839, the new building constructed from the original bricks of the church. Architect Thomas U. Walter
, who designed the dome of the United States Capitol
, designed the new church building. St. James, yet again, found itself taking a role in war. In the American Civil War
, the church was used as a hospital for Union
soldiers, who had at the time taken the confederate
city of Wilmington after the fall of Fort Fisher
.
The church's parish house was built in 1923. Next to the parish house was a house built by Henry Bacon
, the architect of the Lincoln Memorial
in 1901. The Bacon house later became church offices. The church is the resting place of three Episcopal Bishops, Robert Strange
, Thomas Atkinson
, and Thomas H. Wright, whom are buried underneath the church.
, Crucifixion
, and Resurrection of Jesus
. McBee also designed the Bishop's chair and two of the stained glass windows, imcluding The Resurrection of Christ.
, and was named Ecce Homo, Latin for Behold the Man. The painting was given to St. James Episcopal Church in 1751, and still resides in the church.
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
church in the historic district of Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
. The church is part of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina
Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina
The Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina was formed on October 9, 1883 by action of the General Convention. It consists of the congregations of the Episcopal Church in the eastern portion of the state of North Carolina and forms part of Province 4 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of...
and is the oldest church in the city of Wilmington.
History
St. James Episcopal Church was established in the year 1729. Proceeds from the sale of goods that had been salvaged from the Fortuna, a Spanish ship that was abandoned after the Spanish had an unsuccessful attack on Wilmington, went to the construction of St. James and its sister church, St. Philip's ChurchSt. Philip's Church Ruins
The St. Philip's Church Ruins are the remains of a colonial Anglican church building in Brunswick Town, North Carolina, United States. The church is located beside the Cape Fear River in the Brunswick Town Historic District, along with Fort Anderson, Russelborough and the nearby Orton Plantation....
. The original church building for St. James was built and completed in 1770. The church took on a vital role in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. British General Lord Cornwallis took up residency in a house across the street from St. James. The British used St. James as a hospital, and later as a riding school to train the British soldiers. The church was torn down and rebuilt in 1839, the new building constructed from the original bricks of the church. Architect Thomas U. Walter
Thomas U. Walter
Thomas Ustick Walter of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was an American architect, the dean of American architecture between the 1820 death of Benjamin Latrobe and the emergence of H.H. Richardson in the 1870s...
, who designed the dome of the United States Capitol
United States Capitol dome
The United States Capitol dome is the massive dome situated above the United States Capitol which reaches upwards to in height and in diameter. The dome was designed by Thomas U...
, designed the new church building. St. James, yet again, found itself taking a role in war. In the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the church was used as a hospital for Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
soldiers, who had at the time taken the confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
city of Wilmington after the fall of Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865....
.
The church's parish house was built in 1923. Next to the parish house was a house built by Henry Bacon
Henry Bacon
Henry Bacon was an American Beaux-Arts architect who is best remembered for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. , which was his final project.- Education and early career :...
, the architect of the Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is an American memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior...
in 1901. The Bacon house later became church offices. The church is the resting place of three Episcopal Bishops, Robert Strange
Robert Strange
Robert Strange was a Democratic U.S. senator from the state of North Carolina between 1836 and 1840.Strange was born in Manchester, Virginia. He attended New Oxford Academy and Washington College in Lexington, Virginia...
, Thomas Atkinson
Thomas Atkinson (bishop)
Thomas Atkinson was the third Episcopal Bishop of North Carolina.-Early life:Atkinson was born in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, the son of Robert Atkinson and Mary Atkinson. He attended Yale University and Hampden-Sydney College, graduating from the latter in 1825. Upon graduation, he studied...
, and Thomas H. Wright, whom are buried underneath the church.
Church interior
St. James Episcopal Church's oak altar and reredos were carved by Silas McBee, depicting the NativityNativity of Jesus
The Nativity of Jesus, or simply The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in two of the Canonical gospels and in various apocryphal texts....
, Crucifixion
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
, and Resurrection of Jesus
Resurrection of Jesus
The Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus states that Jesus returned to bodily life on the third day following his death by crucifixion. It is a key element of Christian faith and theology and part of the Nicene Creed: "On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures"...
. McBee also designed the Bishop's chair and two of the stained glass windows, imcluding The Resurrection of Christ.
Ecce Homo
A painting of Christ was found in the captain's cabin of the Fortuna by scavengers when being salvaged. The painting turned out to have been done by Spanish artist Francisco PachecoFrancisco Pacheco
Francisco Pacheco was a Spanish painter, best known as the teacher of Diego Velázquez and Alonso Cano, and for his textbook on painting that is an important source for the study of 17th-century practice in Spain...
, and was named Ecce Homo, Latin for Behold the Man. The painting was given to St. James Episcopal Church in 1751, and still resides in the church.
Notable burials
The historic graveyard at St. James has many notable burials. These burials include:- Cornelius HarnettCornelius HarnettCornelius Harnett was an American merchant, farmer, and statesman from Wilmington, North Carolina. He was a leading American Revolutionary in the Cape Fear region, and a delegate for North Carolina in the Continental Congress from 1777 to 1779.Harnett was born to Cornelius and Elizabeth Harnett in...
, American Revolutionary - George Washington Glover, first husband of Mary Baker EddyMary Baker EddyMary Baker Eddy was the founder of Christian Science , a Protestant American system of religious thought and practice religion adopted by the Church of Christ, Scientist, and others...
- Grainger & Joshua Wright, Wrightsville BeachWrightsville Beach, North CarolinaWrightsville Beach is a town in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. Wrightsville Beach is just east of Wilmington and is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,593 at the 2000 census...
was named after their father Joshua Grainger Wright - Robert Strange, Episcopal bishop