St. James Episcopal Church

Introduction

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Designed by architect George Hancock, St. James Episcopal Church was built in 1890 and is an excellent example of Gothic architecture (the rectory was erected in 1883). Constructed using stone, notable features of the church include a bell tower on the southeast corner with arched openings and a steeply pitched roof, Gothic windows with stained glass, stone buttresses, and a Gothic arched main entrance. The congregation formed around 1868, making it one of the first to do so in Bozeman. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

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St. James Episcopal Church was built in 1890.

Backstory and Context

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The church's origins date to June 30, 1868 when the newly appointed Bishop of Montana, The Rt. Rev. Daniel Silvester Tuttle, came to Bozeman. A few days later on July 5th, Tuttle held the first Episcopal service in the Gallatin Valley in a wood-frame church building that was located at the intersection of Main Street and Tracy Avenue. Though only six attended the service, it signaled the beginning of the congregation. Tuttle bought land for a mission church in 1869 but it was not built until 1876. By 1879, the congregation grew to 19 members and the church rectory was later built in 1883. The present church building was, as noted above, erected in 1890. In 1930, the rectory was remodeled to the Colonial Revival style and the parish hall was added in 1940.

Sources

McDonald, James R. et al. "St. James Episcopal Church and Rectory." Montana Historical/Architectural Inventory. October 23, 1987. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/87001841_text.

The Montana National Register Sign Program. "St. James Episcopal Church & Rectory." Montana Historical Society - Digital Vault. Accessed July 7, 2020. http://digitalvault.mhs.mt.gov/items/show/21097.

"St. James Bozeman History." St. James Episcopal Church. Accessed July 7, 2020. http://www.stjamesbozeman.org/about/about-st-james.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_James_Episcopal_Church_and_Rectory_(2013)_-_Galltin_County,_Montana.png

Additional Information