History
St. James Episcopal Church began in 1853 as a “religious society” which met in a local schoolhouse. Joel L.G. Smith soon donated two acres of land, and by 1854 a church building was completed. Recording local history in 1882, Judge J. Lawrence Smith wrote that the church was called St. James “in complement to James Clinch through whose instrumentality and liberality the church was organized and in its infancy, mainly supported.”
The first service took place on July 3, 1854, when the church building was
consecrated. Within a short time a rectory was built and a cemetery laid
out. The vestibule, tower and louvered belfry were added to the church in
1877, and the pulpit was added a year later. The U.S. Post Office chose
to honor the church by adopting the name “St. James” for the hamlet.
To the best of our knowledge, it is the only village in New York named after
a church.
Three of the well-documented stained glass windows were designed by noted architect Stanford White (who is interred in the cemetery) and fabricated by John La Farge. Another window was designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and manufactured by Tiffany Glassworks. The church is listed in the St. James National Register Historic District and has received state and local building preservation awards.
A much-needed campaign of restoration and repair began
in 1990 and was completed in 1994. Conducted with the assistance of a professional
fund raising consultant, this capital campaign resulted in nearly $500,000
given by more than 140 parishioners and community supporters. This permitted
a full restoration of the exterior of the church, a new cedar shingle roof,
restoration of the handpainted Sanctuary window, and landscaping of the
grounds. Following this campaign, the church won an award from the Society
for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities (1997) that heightened its
status as a community landmark. Through a series of events spanning July
2003 to June 2004, the parish celebrated its 150th anniversary, seeking
both to remember our heritage and to anticipate God's direction for our
future. The sesquicentennial was launched with an Evensong using the 1789
Book of Common Prayer and the King James Bible, followed by an old- fashioned
Sunday Social. Other events in the yea
r-long celebration included a Community
Open House with tours of our church building and an organ concert featuring
the works of J. S. Bach and Buxtehude, followed by an English High Tea;
a Family Country Picnic and Pig Roast; the presentation of a hand-made quilt
with signatures and messages from parish families; a Gala Dinner Dance; and the
production of a 150th Anniversary Journal containing historic timelines
and congratulatory messages from parishioners and the greater community.
The sesquicentennial concluded with a service of Rededication of the Church,
the consecration of the Biblical Garden and cemetery extension, and a special
coffee hour.
In 2007, our new Rector, the Rev. Dr. Raewynne J. Whiteley came to us from Swedesboro, NJ (though she is originally from Australia). With her arrival, we began a new chapter in the church's story. We continue to thrive, growing deeper in our faith will looking ever more outwards to serve a world in need of hope.