St. James Episcopal Church, Lancaster, Lancaster County

I'm going to start today's post with my super exciting news of the day, which is that the lovely folks at the Columbia-Montour Visitors Center have graciously given me space in the autumn issue of their quarterly magazine. And when I say they gave me space, I mean they gave me three full-color pages. This magazine is chock-full of interesting things to read and discover about those two beautiful counties, and I'm very honored to be included in what they do! You can find it on the web here, and consider subscribing to receive it in your email.

The remnant of Hurricane Ian has been dumping more than a little rain on my area for the last four days, and I've been hurting an awful lot. (My longtime readers know that I'm one of those "my body is a barometer" people. Worst superpower ever.) So this post is going up later than planned because I just haven't had the energy to put it together at the usual time; but I'm looking outside at some sunshine for the first time since Friday, which is very encouraging. Meanwhile, let's take a virtual trip to a place that's always sunny in my mind, if not in fact - beautiful Lancaster.

The marker stands in front of the church
at 115 North Duke Street, Lancaster

The congregation of St. James has existed since 1744, although the church building is rather newer. They initially met in the Lancaster courthouse; at that time, the courthouse was situated on what today is Penn Square, the main square of downtown Lancaster and home of the Lancaster Central Market. In 1753, a limestone church building was completed on North Duke Street and the congregation relocated. A frame steeple was added in 1762. 

The congregation was initially led by the Rev. Richard Locke, a missionary from the Church of England, and later by Rev. Thomas Barton, who was deeply loyal to King George III. This became a bit of a problem in 1776 when that little kerfuffle known as the American Revolution happened. St. James was populated with both patriots and Loyalists, and the good rector's conscience would not allow him to stop leading his congregation in prayers for the royal family. This caused more than a little discomfort, and forced the church to close its doors after the Declaration of Independence was signed. Rev. Barton was placed under house arrest, but he continued to perform his ministry even in that situation, and eventually the people of Lancaster allowed him and his wife to move to New York.

Several prominent men of the church served in the Revolution, including Gen. Edward Hand (a personal friend of George Washington, who lived at Rock Ford), Edward Shippen (Chairman of the Committee of Correspondence), George Ross (who signed the Declaration), and Judge William Altee (Chairman of the Committee of Public Safety), as well as a number of other officers and delegates. Quite a few of them have their own markers, so they have or will have posts focused on them.

At the end of 1783, worship returned to St. James. The congregation became Episcopalian, and the English Book of Common Prayer was adapted for post-Revolution use. In December 1799, President George Washington died, and St. James became the site of a unique memorial service; Lancaster at that time was the capital city of Pennsylvania, and the legislature declared January 7, 1800 to be a national day of remembrance for the first President. Washington's good friend Gen. Hand ordered a large demonstration. A lengthy parade of soldiers, Masons, government officials, and prominent citizens escorted an empty coffin from the courthouse to St. James, where the rector gave a sermon and the empty coffin was left in the church as a sign of respect for Washington.

As America entered the 19th century, prominent members of the St. James congregation included William Augustus Muhlenberg, who was heavily responsible for the creation of Lancaster's public school district, only the second in Pennsylvania, and Dr. Thomas Burrowes, who led the movement to establish state training colleges for teachers. Harriet Lane, niece and First Lady of 15th President James Buchanan, was also a member of the church; her uncle was a Presbyterian, but gave generous amounts of money to St. James on his niece's behalf. Harriet remained a supporter of St. James throughout her life, even after moving out of Lancaster, and two of the stained glass windows in the nave were donated by her in memory of her eldest son.

Possibly the congregant with the most unusual story is Dinah McIntire, who was a slave owned by a local tavern keeper who was a member of St. James's. Dinah remained with the church even after securing her emancipation in the year 1800, when she was at least ninety years old. She bought a house not far away, at the corner of Vine and Strawberry Streets, and even today the neighborhood is sometimes still remembered as "Dinah's Hill." She died in 1819, well over the age of one hundred, and is buried in the churchyard.

St. James was involved in the establishment of another church when, in 1817, a number of free people of color decided to form their own congregation. Thanks in part to support from members of St. James and Trinity Lutheran Church, they built a house of worship on Strawberry Street which they originally called Saint James African Church. Later it was renamed the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, and is still active today; it's the oldest predominantly black congregation in Lancaster County.

In 1820, work began on a new building to house the growing congregation. This red brick structure was designed in the Romanesque Revival style, and is the same church in which they worship today. It sits on the same spot as the original church building, and the old frame steeple was incorporated into the architect's plans, although it was later replaced by a new steeple which matched the design. Expansions were added at different points throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, with an extensive restoration performed in the late 19th century by the renowned Philadelphia architect Charles M. Burns. They also added a new organ; the original one eventually went to a church in Johnstown, where it was sadly destroyed in the great flood. A parish house was constructed nearby in 1904, and the church also built an orphanage and a home for the elderly. The church building is still regarded as one of the finest in Pennsylvania.

Today, St. James remains focused on the community and its people. They work closely with organizations like Head Start and Habitat for Humanity to meet the needs of people in and beyond Lancaster, and offer a variety of outreach programs for all age groups. They also have a rich and active music tradition and many programs for mental and spiritual wellness. If you're not in the area, you can still observe their sermons through the online streaming program they provide. But if you are in Lancaster sometime, do yourself a favor and walk through the churchyard; the building and the grounds offer an incredible serenity in the middle of a very busy city.

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Sources and Further Reading:

Official website of St. James's Episcopal Church

Informational brochure reproduced digitally by VisitHistoricLancaster.com

Saint James's Episcopal Church Cemetery at FindAGrave.com

Saint James's Church at the Historical Marker Database

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Except where indicated, all writing and photography on this blog is the intellectual property of Laura Klotz. This blog is written with permission of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. I am not employed by the PHMC. All rights reserved.