Saint Paul's Episcopal Church

The St. Paul's church began in 1867 when a small congregation met in houses, ballrooms and other churches. Fundraising began in 1877 to build a church building, which came to fruition in 1884. The Gothic Revival church was erected on property previously owned by the town's founder, William B. Howard. Construction on St. Paul's finished in late 1884, making it is the oldest church still used in Lee's Summit today. 

St. Paul's Episcopal Church stands as the only surviving vernacular interpretation of Gothic Revival in the Lee's Summit and vicinity; it essentially appears today as it did when completed in 1884. However, unlike its eastern U.S. counterparts, it exists as a smaller, more straightforward Gothic church building due to economic necessities and limited available materials. 

While the church building arose in 1884, the congregation first met in 1867. The small group met in people's homes, ballrooms, or other churches. Ten years later, the group finally made plans to build their own church. The building sits on property previously owned by William B. Howard, who founded the City of Lee's Summit (then known as Strother) in 1865. Howard placed the land in trust; and, on July 16, 1884, Elizabeth M. Whiting, Belle M. Jones, and Bessie M, Gattreel, trustees, deeded William Howard's lot to the "Protestant Episcopal Church." The trustees assumed the responsibility for the church construction, including developing the plans, securing a contract, and handling the finances. 

The women took donations and collected dues (five cents per week) for a "Savings Society," organized in 1881. Additionally, among the many fundraising ideas they conjured was selling carpet rags they sewed, which led to many referring to the church as the "carpet rag church." 

It took the women seven years (1877 - 1884) to collect the funds. The need to imaginatively collect money speaks to the financial restraints facing the congregation. Despite the limited budget that led them to build a simple-framed structure, the church building included many decorative features, primarily influenced by the Gothic Revival style. 

Rev. Mr. Scheetz, a former railroad engineer who became an Episcopal priest during the early 1880s, served as the building's principal architect. Scheetz went on to design at least three other Missouri churches: Trinity Episcopal (St. James), Grace Church (Monroe City), and St. Mark's Episcopal (Butler). Meanwhile, construction on St. Paul's finished in late 1884; it is the oldest church still used in Lee's Summit today. 

"The Historic St. Paul's Episcopal Church: 1867 - 2010, 144 years." St Paul's Episcopal Church. Lee's Summit , Missouri. freepages.rootsweb.com. Accessed December 20, 2021. http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~haefner/religions/.

"History of St. Paul's." St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Accessed December 20, 2021. https://stpaulsls.org/About%20Us/history-of-st-pauls.html.

Sturdevant, Ruthi. "St. Paul's Episcopal Church." National Register of Historic Places. mostateparks.com. 1984. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/St.%20Paul%27s%20Episcopal%20Church%20Jackson%20County.pdf.