 |
From
the End of the War Between the States to the
Great Fire
| 1865 |
Philips Brookes of Boston rides on
horseback from Jerusalem to Bethlehem; writes "O Little Town of
Bethlehem". |
| 1867 |
The House of Bishops condemns "the
usages of the Anglo-Catholics". |
| 1867 |
The first Lambeth Conference. |
| 1874 |
General Convention condemns the
practice of elevation and adoration of the elements at the Eucharist. |
| 1878 |
Opening of the School of Theology at
the University of the South. |
| 1888 |
Adoption of the Chicago-Lambeth
Quadrilateral at Lambeth. The Chicago Quadrilateral had been adopted in
1886. |
| 1892 |
A revised Book of Common Prayer. |
| 1896 |
Leo XIII, Bishop of Rome, declares
"ordinations performed according to the Anglican rite are utterly
invalid and altogether void." |
William Reed Huntington (1838-1909) was the
chief architect of the
1892 BCP. Like William Augustus Muhlenberg, he was greatly interested
in the unity of the Episcopal Church, as well as in ecumenism. Drawing
on writings of F. D. Maurice, Muhlenberg, and others, he proposed that
the Church should have a few great structural ideas, with liberty of
interpretation and limited dogma. He proposed four points for church
unity: 1) the Holy Scriptures as the word of God; 2) the primitive
creeds of the church (Apostles and Nicene) as the rule of faith; 3) two
sacraments of baptism and Eucharist; and 4) the historic episcopate,
locally adapted, as the keystone of governmental unity. These were
adopted with modifications at Lambeth in 1888 as the Chicago-Lambeth
Quadrilateral.
From 1892-1911, William Porcher DuBose, dean
of the School of
Theology at the University of the South, writes major treatises on the
New Testament, describing Scripture in Chalcedonian terms as being both
human and divine. Like the modern Paleo-Orthodox theologians, he taught
that the writings of the great Ecumenical Councils should be studied
carefully. He also was an advocate of church unity and the ecumenical
movement.
| 1866 |
Saint Paul's Church is vandalized,
the carpets having been removed to the yard and several lamps taken
away. Daniel Thomas is later convicted of this crime and sentenced to
the chain gang for 12 months and fined $200. |
| 1866 |
Parishioners of Saint Paul's who have
made
permanent residences on The Hill, (a.k.a. Summerville) form an
association for the purpose of building a new church. The Reverend
William H. Clarke, Rector of Saint Paul's, provides services. |
| 1866 |
The Right Reverend Stephen Elliott,
First
Bishop of the Diocese of Georgia dies only a few days after visiting
Augusta and is buried in Savannah on Christmas Day. |
| 1867 |
The Reverend John Watrous Beckwith,
Rector
of Trinity Church, New Orleans, is elected Bishop of Georgia and was
consecrated on April 2, 1868 in Savannah. He is a native of Raleigh,
North Carolina. |
| 1869 |
The Church of the Good Shepherd,
Summerville, is admitted to the Diocese as a Parish. A board and batten
Carpenter Gothic style building is erected on a lot donated by Artemas
and Margaret (Gardner) Gould, formerly members of Saint Paul's Church.
Bishop Beckwith lays the cornerstone. |
| 1869 |
"The first step toward the proposed
enlargement and improvement of Saint Paul's Church is nearly complete.
The wall has been extended back sixteen feet, giving room for 26 new
pews, and a more convenient chancel arrangement. The architectural
beauty of the interior will be materially increased when the new
windows are in place, the centre one being a memorial to the late
Rector, Dr. Ford. We understand the church will be re-opened for public
worship on Sunday, December 12th, the Vestry having decided to postpone
the coloring of the walls and ceiling for the present, owing to the
condition of the new plastering. Much interest is felt by the
congregation in the mode for lighting the building from above, but we
shall not speak further on this subject until the gas is on and we can
see and judge from personal observation." The Augusta Chronicle,
December 4, 1869. (The group of Chancel Windows and the central panel
with a figure of the Good Shepherd was given by the Ladies' Aid Society
in memory of The Reverend Edward Eugene Ford). |
| 1874 |
A mission is started at Bel Air, 10
miles
west of Augusta on the Georgia Railroad, and is principally served by
the Reverend Edwin Gardner Weed of the Church of the Good Shepherd. A
chapel is fitted out from what was formerly a stable. The Bel Air
Mission becomes dormant in about 1885 with a shift of interest toward
nearby Grovetown, which results in the erection of the Church of the
Heavenly Rest in that village in 1889. |
| 1877 |
The Reverend William H. Clarke dies
and is
buried under Saint Paul's Church. Although a Northern man, he had
served as Rector of Saint Paul's faithfully during the Civil War. |
| 1878 |
The Reverend Chauncy Camp Williams
succeeds
William H. Clarke as Rector of Saint Paul's Church on January 13th.
Williams is from New Orleans. |
| 1880 |
Saint Paul's is the fifth largest
Episcopal
Church in the Diocese, with 650 members and 360 communicants. The top
six are: Saint Philip's, Atlanta (2100-564), Christ, Savannah
(1200-475), Saint John's, Savannah (1017-452), Christ, Macon (900-334),
Saint Paul's, Augusta (650-360) and Trinity, Columbus (550-252). |
| 1882 |
Christ Church is established as a
mission
of the Church of the Good Shepherd in the mill village of Harrisburg.
The building is the original Church of the Good Shepherd, which was
being replaced by a new brick structure. W. E. Platt, a member of Saint
Paul's Church, donates the lot. |
| 1886 |
An earthquake centered in Charleston
wrecks the interior of Saint Paul's Church. |
| 1888 |
Saint Paul's Church is remodeled in
reaction to the "Oxford Movement" in the church. Changes include the
extension of the recessed chancel, in memory of The Reverend William H.
Clarke, an extension of the Sunday School room, putting in a steam
heater, new lighting fixtures, removal and renovation of the organ and
other improvements. In addition paintings, statues and stained glass
windows were installed. "Williams thought nothing was too good for the
church." The eagle lectern was given by The Reverend Oliver H. Raftery
in memory of his wife, Mary Clarke Raftery, only daughter of The
Reverend William H. Clarke. This was apparently when the Victorian
Gothic millwork was installed in the church. |
| 1889 |
Saint Mary's Episcopal Church is now
in
operation thanks to a bequest in the last will and testament of former
Saint Paul's parishioner Mary G. Jones Harison, late wife of The
Reverend William H. Harison (Rector of the Church of the Atonement) who
died in 1863. Mrs. Harison wanted to establish a church for "colored"
Episcopalians in Augusta. Saint Mary's is located at 915 Telfair
Street, and would later move to 1116 Twelfth Street in about 1928. |
| 1890 |
Bishop Beckwith dies November 23,
1890. |
| 1891 |
The Reverend Chauncy Camp Williams is
nominated for Bishop of the Diocese of Georgia. The Reverend Thomas F.
Gailor is actually elected, but declines to serve. The Reverend Cleland
Kinloch Nelson, Rector of the Church of the Nativity, South Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania, is subsequently elected and consecrated in Atlanta on
February 24, 1892. |
| 1892 |
Under the leadership of William F.
Harris,
organist, the first vested choir in Augusta consisting of 50 men and
boys are now seated on both sides of the chancel. Previously a quartet
sang behind a curtain in the rear gallery. |
| 1893 |
The 1861 Jardine organ is extensively
reworked by Farrand and Votey of Detroit at a cost of about $3,000. It
would now have electric action, making an organ blower no longer
necessary. However, as late as 1895, there are still problems with the
newly renovated organ and problems continue with it into the new
century. |
| 1901 |
The Celtic Cross is erected in the
rear of
Saint Paul's Churchyard by the Georgia Society, Colonial Dames of
America to commemorate the founding of Augusta and the location of Fort
Augusta. |
| 1906 |
After writing and publishing a
history of
Saint Paul's Church, The Reverend C. C. Williams resigns as Rector
after 29 years of service. |
| 1907 |
The Reverend George Sherwood Whitney
becomes the Rector of Saint Paul's on January 1st, and remains until
his death in 1924. |
| 1907 |
The Church Bells, a parish
newsletter, begins publication, the first in the Diocese. |
| 1907 |
The Diocese of Atlanta is created,
dividing
the northern part of Georgia from the southern portion of the state.
Frank H. Miller, a parishioner of Saint Paul's, is the Chancellor of
the Diocese and legally guides the separation. Saint Paul's Church
joins with all other parishes in supporting the separation with the
exception of Saint Luke's Church, Hawkinsville. |
| 1908 |
Saint Paul's is the third largest
church in
number of communicants in the Diocese of Georgia (now excluding the
Diocese of Atlanta). Christ, Savannah (698), Saint John's, Savannah
(616), Saint Paul's, Augusta (465), Saint Paul's, Savannah (356), Saint
Mark's, Brunswick (306), Good Shepherd, Augusta (240), Saint Paul's,
Albany (237). All other parishes in the Diocese had less than 100
communicants. Augusta area missions (with number of communicants) were
Christ (115), Saint Mary's (19), Saint Andrew's (7) and the Church of
the Heavenly Rest, Grovetown (4). |
| 1908 |
The Reverend Frederick Focke Reese,
Rector
of Christ Church, Nashville, Tennessee, is elected new Bishop of the
Diocese of Georgia, Bishop Nelson having gone with the new Diocese of
Atlanta. Reese would remain Bishop until his death in 1936. At the same
convention, William K. Miller of Saint Paul's, Augusta, is elected
Chancellor of the Diocese of Georgia. He is the son of the former
Chancellor, Frank H. Miller. William K. Miller would later author a
history of Saint Paul's drawing largely upon and adding to the one
written by C. C. Williams in 1906. |
| 1912 |
The cornerstone of the new Parish
House is
laid on June 11. The total cost of the new building is about $16,000.
In 1915 the church still owes a debt of $2,400 for construction costs
associated with the Parish House. |
| 1912 |
A new window is dedicated on December
15th to the memory of Harriet Phinizy Mays by her mother, Mrs. Charles
H. Phinizy. |
| 1913 |
A cover for the baptismal font made
of oak
and brass is dedicated to the memory of Mr. W. H. Crane, late beloved
Senior Warden of the church. |
| 1913 |
In response to several floods of the
Savannah River, most notably in 1888 and 1908, the City of Augusta
begins the construction of the Savannah River Levee on top of Bay
Street, which is the northern boundary of Saint Paul's Churchyard. |
| 1913 |
Miss Eliza Phinizy leads a group of
ladies
by opening a Tea Room for the benefit of the Parish House Fund. The Tea
Room is located on Jackson Street (now 8th), three doors from the Grand
Opera House. |
| 1914 |
"The Pilcher Organ Company of
Louisville,
Kentucky is now at work on our organ, trying to put it in such
condition as will last us another year or two. We do not propose to
spend any more on it than is absolutely necessary to keep it going
until we can see our way to the purchase of a new one." |
| 1916 |
Saint Paul's Church is destroyed by
fire in the great Augusta conflagration of March 22. |
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