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• 1 media/St Pauls Mishawaka exterior 7 Jun 2015.jpg 2019-07-23T08:02:38-07:00 St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Mishawaka 95 image_header 2024-09-17T17:17:38-07:00 On April 20, 1837, two Michigan clergymen, the Rev. Charles B. Stout, rector of St. Stephen's Church in Edwardsburg and the Rev. Henry F. M. Whitesides of St. James Church in Constantine, went south into northern Indiana to do missionary work. They held an organizational meeting for an Episcopal church on the outskirts of Mishawaka in St. Joseph County and conducted services for thirteen people in a schoolhouse. St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the oldest formally organized parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana, began on that date. Soon after its founding, it nearly closed. Stout moved to the interior of Michigan, many leading parishioners were afflicted with illness, and Bishop Jackson Kemper lamented at the Diocesan Council of 1840 that he feared "that our services have not been celebrated there during the last twelve months."
  
  Nevertheless, the spark continued despite the early trials. No specific record exists of those serving on St. Paul's first vestry, but by 1842 the congregation purchased property at the corner of First and Spring streets and conveyed it to Hiram Doolittle, John H. Orr, J. E. Hollister, Samuel P. Knight, and Norman Eddy, who were listed as "vestry" and "wardens" of St. Paulʼs Church. A year later the church building was erected that came to be known informally as the “Church on the Hill.” The Rev. Richard S. Adams oversaw completion of the work, and Bishop Jackson Kemper consecrated it in 1845. This Greek Revival frame church contained the first belfry bell in Mishawaka, which was cast in 1836. It was later sold for junk when the church was sold in 1906. Church leaders brought the first organ reportedly from Saratoga Springs, New York, sometime before 1850. Later, they installed a Van Dinter pipe organ, manufactured in Mishawaka. This organ, operated by a hand air pump, was eventually moved to the new church, along with some of the stained glass windows. Finally, John T. Niles, the senior warden, embellished these original structures when he donated a rectory, begun in 1872 and completed in 1876.
  
  The church struggled at first to become established. Elias Birdsall, who served as a missionary in 1858, filed a report to the "Spirit of Missions" newspaper in May 1859: "Although there was much to discourage and dishearten, I can now look back upon my labors in this parish with a degree of satisfaction and a heart full of gratitude to the Giver of every good and perfect gift. The numerical increase has not been great, but there has been a gradual growth of that, without which increase in numbers but adds weakness - viz. the spirit of love, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. It is a united parish."
  
  The Civil War years were not also without difficulties. In 1863, after the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation, the congregation had strong abolitionist sympathies. Members demanded that the Irish-born Rev. Joseph Adderly attend Union meetings and preach about slavery from the pulpit the way that Methodist and Presbyterian preachers in town did. Bishop George Upfold forbade discussion of what he called "politics" in diocesan churches and told the congregation he would be displeased with the rector if he did address abolitionism from the pulpit.
  
  In 1864, the bishop visited again, spending the night in a house with a leaky roof during a heavy rainstorm. The next day he went to the railroad depot for breakfast, only to discover that a Union regiment from Michigan had been there since 5 A.M. and had consumed everything, including all the eggs and coffee. "They had wolfish appetites like wolverines, which they were, and what they lacked in food they made up in swearing. Thus I remained two tedious hours, rather uncomfortable I thank you, when the train from Chicago came along."
  
  In 1883, members of the congregation called for the closure of the parish, since no vestry election had occurred for five or six years. Despite these challenges Bishop David Buel Knickerbacker sent the Rev. Augustine Prentiss of South Carolina to serve both St. Paulʼs and St. Johnʼs in Elkhart. No one came to meet Prentiss when his train came to town, yet he had a full congregation at his first service on Sunday, March 9th, preaching on the “Duty of the Hour.” A skilled clergyman, Prentiss revitalized the congregation, and by the time of Bishop Knickerbackerʼs visit on Sunday, July 15th, he had prepared sixteen persons for confirmation. In 1885, the bishop moved him to Indianapolis.
  
  In October 1885, Rev. J. Gorton Miller assumed charge of St. Paulʼs and was also given missionary responsibility over St. Johnʼs, Bristol. The organizations of the parish consisted of the Wardens and Vestry, a Ladies Society, and a Young Ladies Altar Guild. The women's organizations raised funds for current expenses, repairs, and improvements. Miller organized a Sunday School. At the beginning of Lent 1886, he established the custom of celebrating the Holy Eucharist at every Sunday morning service, more frequently than was typical in the Episcopal Church at that time. He also wore Eucharistic vestments of plain white linen, used wafer bread and the mixed chalice (a little water with the wine), and established the custom of the eastward position of the altar.
  
  On January 1, 1899, after the formation of the Diocese of Michigan City, Bishop John Hazen White sent the Rev. Hamilton D. B. MacNeil to take charge of St. Paulʼs. The parish was free of debt and financially independent at that time. During the next year, the vestry ordered extensive improvements to the building, including the installation of electrical lights, enlargement of the choir, and setting a new altar, the gift of Mrs. J. A. Roper and Mrs. E. A. Jurnegan. The rectory also received gifts of a new furnace and bathroom. During the period 1898 to 1902, some of the wardens and vestry of St. Paulʼs included H. H. Hosford, H. G. Eggleston, E. T. Reys, E. G. Richards, Jr., C. A. W. Ostrom, S. G. Todd, M.D., Harvey A. Foroots, Harvey A. Martling, G. G. Eggleston, F. J. Sytz, W. M. Dickinson, S. P. Wilson, W. E. Roe, G. S. Pomeroy, and Ralph H. Jernegan.
  
  MacNeil resigned on February 12, 1902, and was succeeded that same year by the Rev. John Addams Linn (nephew of Jane Addams of Chicago Hull House fame). In 1905, the old "Church on the Hill" on Spring St. was sold, and the parish made plans to build a new church and rectory on Second Street (now Lincolnway East), near the new Cedar Street Bridge. The old church was removed to South Union Street and eventually remodeled into a residence.
  
  The construction of the new church came about through the untiring efforts of Linn and the progressiveness of the congregation. The complete cost of the structures was $15,000. Schneider & Austin of South Bend served as architects, and the construction contract was awarded to Hess & Hiner of Mishawaka. The rector laid the cornerstone on July 17, 1906. He set the goal of having the work completed enough to hold the dedication on St. Paul's Day, a task that at times required up to 20 workers. Linn celebrated the final services in the old church on January 20, 1907, and he conducted the first service in the new church on Easter Sunday of that year. Bishop White dedicated the church. The windows on either side of the nave were brought from the old one, and they remain splendid examples of 19th century stained glass. The windows over the entrance, commissioned for the new church by Mrs. E.G. Eberhart, depict the conversion of St. Paul on the road to Damascus. The window above the altar, given by Mrs. J.A. Roper, represents the Risen Lord. The present altar is a larger copy of the original first altar and is adorned with the original symbols. Members of the Bishop Knickerbacker Guild erected the rood screen, designed by Oscar Brubaker in memory of Mrs. Nancy E. Sherman Jernegan in 1916. The hand carved figures from Switzerland were added in 1960 by Alfred S. Ostrom and Mrs. M.H. Goodman in memory of their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Ostrom. The statue of St. Charles I of England, king and martyr, carved in Italy, was given in memory of Alfred S. Ostrom in 1964.
  
  In 1908, Linn left the parish and was later killed in action in France in 1918 - the first of the so-called "fighting chaplains" to meet death in World War I. His service is commemorated by a plaque in the sanctuary. The Rev. Lewis C. Rogers began his twenty-five year service as rector later in 1908. That same year, Charles Fairbanks, the Vice President of the United States under Theodore Roosevelt, visited Mishawaka and dined in the undercroft at a meal hosted by the Bishop Knickerbacker Guild.
  
  During the next quarter century the parish experienced significant change when Bishop Campbell Gray named St. Paul's as his Pro-Cathedral in 1925, an honor it would hold until 1951. The bishop had somewhat grandiose plans to build a magnificent new cathedral on the corner of Cedar and Lincoln Way, designed in the Gothic Revival style by the renowned architect Ralph Adams Cram. However, the Great Depression and subsequent World War II defeated any chance of realizing this dream when insufficient funds could be raised. The parish did acquire the corner lot as a result of these plans, however. J. Alvin Scott donated it with the provision that it revert to his heirs if not built upon in 25 years, though his heirs later released this provision.
  
  The Depression hit the church so hard that when Rogers retired in 1933, the bishop took over as rector and had his salary paid to the Diocese to make up St. Paulʼs arrearage in its diocesan assessment. The parish began its financial recovery with the arrival of the Very Rev. Archie Ira Drake, a dramatic personage, who became rector in 1935. Although his personal problems with alcoholism forced him to resign in 1937, he laid a solid foundation for renewal of the parish. After leaving, Drake went to the Holy Cross monastery in New York where he edited the St. Augustineʼs Prayer Book and became the national chaplain of Alcoholics Anonymous.
  
  The Very Rev. Russell R. Ingersoll, who served from 1938 to 1942, and the Very Rev. Erland L. Groton, who succeeded Ingersoll and served until 1952, continued the work of building up the parish. During their tenure, the organ was moved from the front, inside the rood screen (behind where the pulpit stands today), to its present location at the rear of the church, thereby enlarging the chancel. The Van Dinter organ was replaced by one of the early electric organs, and a later model donated by Miss Neitzel subsequently replaced this one. During this time, a boysʼ choir was organized under the direction of Winifred Wonderlick, a music teacher at Bingham School, and the Ladies Service League was especially active in its ministry.
  
  Many of the members of the church served in the armed services during World War II. Two members were killed, including Charles Butz, serving in the Army, and Elizabeth Richardson, serving in the American Red Cross. A plaque in the church nave commemorates their sacrifice. St. Paulʼs continued as the Pro-Cathedral of the diocese until Bishop Reginald Mallett, Bishop Grayʼs successor, chose to move the bishopʼs residence to South Bend, and in 1950 removed the title Pro-Cathedral from St. Paulʼs. In 1957, he was formally enthroned in the new St. James Cathedral in downtown South Bend, which remains the cathedral today.
  
  In 1952, the Rev. Wilbur B. Dexter became rector of St. Paulʼs. A native of Cleveland and a graduate of Oberlin College and Nashotah House, Dexter brought continued growth to the parish in his early years as rector. A new rectory was purchased on Edgewater Drive, across the river from the church. The old rectory next to the church became the church school and a chapel. The parish hall was refurbished and paneling added; a new nursery was added; a new roof was put on the church and connecting building.
  
  Dexter was one of the first priests in the diocese to adopt the Holy Eucharist Rite Two of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer as the regular service of the parish. He encouraged women to serve as members of the vestry and girls as acolytes, although he opposed women priests, as did most of the clergy of the diocese at that time under Bishop William Sheridan. A serious illness followed by a broken hip kept Fr. Dexter from his duties at the church for more than a year and led to his retirement to Florida in 1984 after 32 years as rector. During the last years of his tenure, St. Paulʼs saw a sharp decline in attendance.
  
  The Rev. Bruce Mosier, a retired priest from Goshen, served as a supply priest following Dexterʼs retirement. With the encouragement of his wife, Dorothy, Mosier helped stem the decline of the parish. The rectory, which had become rundown, was sold and the resulting funds were used to start the renovation of the church buildings. Mosier gave new hope to the members of St. Paulʼs, and membership increased to the point where Bishop Sheridan was able to have the Rev. Paul Tracy take over leadership the parish in 1986. When Tracy retired in 1995, the vestry wrote the following mission statement: “The people of St. Paul's Church celebrate the Good News of Jesus Christ and serve as witness of God's love through worship, fellowship, and outreach, daily living the promises made in our baptism.”
  
  This statement proved an instrumental point of focus in the search process that led to the call of the Rev. David K. Ottsen to St. Paulʼs as rector in 1996. Previously, Bishop Gray had assigned him to serve the mission of Christ Church in suburban South Bend, which had folded after only a short time. Working with the vestry, Ottsenʼs hard work and leadership brought new vitality to the parish as it sought to live out its mission statement. A successful capital campaign allowed for many improvements to be made to the edifice, including a new roof on the church and the parish house, a new heating and cooling system, a new sound system, new windows in the parish house, refinishing of the floors, restoration of the pews, renovation of the undercroft, and the remodeling of the kitchen. On the outside, new landscaping was done to the front of the buildings and a beautiful memorial garden added to the river frontage in the back.
  
  In addition to making physical improvements, St. Paulʼs leaders brought energy and commitment to minister to the community at large. Programs such as the Food Pantry and Thanksgiving Baskets expanded each year in the 2000s to provide food to the needy, and goals for participation were set and exceeded. In August 2007, St. Paul's became the site of a gun buy-back program in collaboration with area police departments, which resulted in over 250 guns being exchanged for gift certificates to area businesses. Bishop Edward Little observed that St. Paulʼs was unique in its ability to combine its concern for social justice with a zeal for evangelism. Attendance more than doubled during Ottsenʼs tenure. The congregation was composed of a wide variety of people of all ages, from senior citizens to college students as well as a growing number of families with young children due to several recent births. In October 2007, Ottsen announced that he had accepted a call to be the rector at St. Peter's in Brenham, Texas, and he celebrated his farewell Eucharist on 8 Epiphany 2008.
  
  While the church searched for a new rector, Bishop Gray, now retired, served as its interim priest at the church in which he was baptized when his grandfather was bishop of Northern Indiana. On June 11, 2008, the Search Committee formally recommended a candidate, and accordingly, the vestry agreed unanimously to call the Rev. Susan Bunton Haynes, formerly Assistant Rector and later priest-in-charge of the Cathedral of St. James in South Bend, to be the new priest. Mother Susan accepted the call and officially took up the rectorship on September 1, 2008, and was installed by Bishop Little on October 10. After a successful rectorate, she was elected bishop of the Diocese of Southern Virginia in 2019.
  
  Clergy:
  
  Henry F. M. Whitesides, 1837
  Charles Brockden Stout, 1839
  Foster Thayer, 1842
  Richard Samuel Adams, 1842-1846
  Benjamin Halsted, 1846-1852
  Stephen Douglass, 1852-1853
  Martin Frederick Sorenson, 1854-1856
  Elias Birdsall, 1856-1858
  Colley Alexander Foster, 1860
  Joseph Adderly, 1861-1866
  Richard Brass, 1866-1871
  John Gierlow, 1871-1873
  Moses Clement Stanley, 1874-1876
  Alfred Thomas Perkins, 1879-1880
  Sherwood Rosevelt, 1881-1882
  Augustine Prentiss, 1883-1885
  Samuel Franklin Myers, 1885-1886
  Joseph Gorton Miller, 1886-1888
  Frederick Thompson, 1888-1890
  Augustine Prentiss, 1890-1892
  DeLou Burke, 1892-1898
  Hamilton Douglas Bentley MacNeil, 1899-1902
  John Addams Linn, 1902-1908
  Lewis Curtis Rogers, 1908-1933
  James Boyd Coxe, 1933-1935
  Archie Ira Drake, 1935-1937
  Russell Richard Ingersoll, 1938-1942
  Erland Lawrence Groton, 1942-1952
  Wilbur B. Dexter, 1952-1984
  Bruce Bickel Mosier, 1985
  Paul John Tracy, 1986-1995
  David K. Ottsen, 1996-2007
  Francis Campbell Gray, 2008
  Susan Bunton Haynes, 2008-2019
  Nathaniel Warne, 2020-
  
  
  Adapted from St. Paul's website: http://www.stpaulsmishawaka.org/html/history.pdf
  
  St. Paul's Parish Register, 3 volumes, 1837-1933
  
  St. Paul's Parish Register with Vestry Minutes, 1837-1870
  
  St. Paul's Parish Register, 1871-1901
  
  St. Paul's Parish Register, 1903-1933
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 1 media/Trinity Episcopal Church, Logansport, 22 Nov 2015 exterior.jpg 2019-07-19T04:56:31-07:00 Trinity Episcopal Church, Logansport 84 image_header 2024-09-17T17:25:45-07:00 In 1840, Bishop Jackson Kemper visited Logansport as he traveled west on the Wabash & Erie Canal. His visit likely marked the first time a service in the Episcopal Church was held in the town. A missionary, the Rev. Charles Todd, also worked briefly in the area. A year later the Rev. Francis H. L. Laird arrived to establish a congregation, conducting services in a schoolhouse at 228 Market Street. On 29 July 1841, a vestry was elected and chose the name of Trinity for the new congregation. For the next two years the congregation met on the third floor of a downtown building. The vestry raised subscriptions for a church building. Bishop Kemper reported to the Diocesan Council in 1842 that Laird had gone east to raise funds for a church. In 1843, what Kemper called "a fine stone church" measuring 38 by 50 feet was erected on a hill at the northwest corner of Seventh and Market streets. Other accounts suggest it was white and wood frame. A prime mover of the church was Graham Fitch, who had brought his family from New York in 1834 and had built a house at Seventh and Market streets. A strong abolitionist, he may have given support to fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad. Bishop George Upfold did not consecrate the building until 26 May 1853, when it was free from debt.
  
  Between 1843 and 1863, the church held services irregularly as a variety of clergy of short duration came and went. They often held dual pastoral roles with St. Mary's in Delphi. After the Civil War, the church experienced structural problems, and when the Rev. Edward Purdy was called as rector in 1869, he accepted with the understanding that the building would be demolished and a new one of stone constructed. Work on the new edifice began immediately with limestone quarried locally on Fitch's farm on the west side of town and hauled to the site via the Wabash & Erie Canal. On February 19, 1870, the congregation worshiped for the first time in the new building. A new transept and chancel were added six years later as the parish grew under Purdy's leadership. A tracker organ built by the firm Hook and Hastings of Boston was installed in 1877 and is still in use. Many members of the early congregation had been members of the Church of Ireland.
  
  During the 1890s and early 1900s, the parish experienced financial shortages and a number of divisions as various rectors came and went. In 1894, the Rev. Douglas Hobbs reported that in the wake of the financial depression, the year had been the hardest financially in the history of the parish, but he commended the congregation for "the practice of self-denial in meeting their obligations." The Rev. George H. Richardson arrived in 1918 and led the parish in celebrating a jubilee in 1919 and helping to raise funds for an episcopal residence in South Bend for Bishop White. When he left in 1920, he was criticized for self-boasting and for not following canons. His successor, the Rev. Clinton B Cromwell, arrived in 1920 and found the parish "utterly impossible" and "resigned as soon as he could find work elsewhere." A history in the parish register written by Cromwell explained, "a clique wanting to run the church in absolute defiance of the canons and the Bishop resulted, just as in the case of every other priest for 12 or 15 years, in the attempt to starve the Rector." He added, "God only knows what the next man can do - unless he is an angel from heaven."
  
  The next two rectors, Edward Roland and W. Edward Hoffenbacher, had longer rectorates. Over time, especially under Bishop Campbell Gray, Trinity became increasingly Anglo-Catholic. Gray's son, Francis Campbell Gray, served briefly as rector from 1936 to 1937.
  
  In the 1980s, the vestry made plumbing and heating renovations, and the edifice underwent a major renovation. Then in November 1989, during the rectorate of William Hibbert, a severe thunderstorm struck the church, tearing off part of the roof in a downdraft. Much of the interior was severely damaged, but funds arrived to help rebuild the church. In addition to insurance money, financial help came from many parts of the diocese. In November 1990, the restored church was rededicated by Bishop Frank Gray.
  
  Under the ministry of the Rev. Clark Miller, who became rector in 2010, the parish began giving away school supplies to needy children, which quickly expanded to providing clothes and free haircuts. It also opened a food pantry that serves between 75 and 80 people on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.
  
  Clergy:
  
  Francis H. L. Laird, 1841-1843
  Anson Clark, 1845-1846
  Thomas Bassel Fairchild, 1848
  Josiah Phelps, 1849-1850
  Frederick Durbin Harriman, 1850-1852
  Walter Emlen Franklin, 1852-1854
  Henry Cook Stowell, 1854
  John Trimble, 1855-1857
  Alonzo James Madison Hudson, 1857-1858
  Elias Birdsall, 1858-1860
  Nathaniel Rue High, 1860-1861
  Abner Platt Brush, 1863
  John Edward Jackson Jr., 1866-1868
  Edward James Purdy, 1869-1879
  John Andrew Dooris, 1879-1881
  Benjamin Tucker Hutchins, 1881-1882
  Gustav Edmond Purucker, 1882-1883
  Harry E. Thompson, 1884-1886
  Benjamin Franklin Miller, 1887-1891
  Douglas Irvine Hobbs, 1891-1895
  Francis Clarence Coolbaugh, 1895-1898
  Walter Jay Lockton, 1899-1906
  Almon Clarke Stengel, 1906-1910
  John Cole McKim, 1910
  Louis Thibou Scofield, 1911-1914
  Charles Frederic Westman, 1914-1918
  George Harry Richardson, 1918-1920
  Clinton Bradshaw Cromwell, 1920-1921
  Edward Lemuel Roland Jr., 1923-1930
  William Edward Hoffenbacher, 1930-1936
  Francis Campbell Gray, 1936-1937
  Raymond Mansfield O'Brien, 1937-1939
  Clarence Charles Reimer, 1940-1949
  Robert Chesleigh Holmes, 1949-1950
  Gerald Lionel Claudius, 1950-1959
  Hugh Crichton Edsall, 1959-1961
  Henry R. Solem, 1962-1969
  Wright Ramsett Johnson, 1969-1977
  H. James Considine, 1977-1986
  M. Richard Hatfield, 1986-1988
  William C. Hibbert, 1989-1991
  Michael J. Haas, 1992-2004
  Theodore Neidlinger, 2004-2007
  Clark S. Miller, 2010-
  
  Bibliography:
  
  Barbara Colford, History of Trinity Episcopal Church, 1841-1991 (Logansport: Trinity Episcopal Church, 1991).
  
  Trinity Episcopal Church, Logansport, Vestry Minute Book 1, 1841-1855
  
  Parish Register, 1841-1865 [lost]
  
  Parish Register, 1866-1879
  
  Parish Register, 1880-1930
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
• 1 media/St Marys Delphi exterior292.jpg 2019-07-13T12:01:28-07:00 St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Delphi (defunct) 72 image_header 2024-07-09T07:35:07-07:00 St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Delphi, was founded on 4 September 1843 by the Rev. Samuel Roosevelt Johnson, then rector of St. John's, Lafayette. In November, the congregation purchased a lot for a church and parsonage for $190. After a gift of $600 from Johnson and $100 gathered from others, the congregation erected a church building, which was consecrated on 21 August 1845 by Bishop Jackson Kemper, a close friend of Johnson.  Delphi, located on the Wabash & Erie Canal, was an important hub at that time in the only transportation network that existed in northern Indiana, making it a logical place to establish a church. The Rev. Anson Clark arrived soon afterward, becoming the first resident priest of the parish, followed by the Rev. Bryan B. Killikelly, who remained until 1848. His successor, the Rev. Edward Magee of New York, was still only a deacon on his arrival.
  
  The church struggled for permanence. Sarah Pratt, an early member, recalled that when the railroad came and the canal closed, the church was located some distance from the center of town, which affected its appeal to local residents. On 26 December 1846, the treasurer reported having received $125 from Johnson for the purchase of an adjoining lot for a parsonage. The first building, Pratt recalled, "stood in a setting of forest trees and was a brown frame with arched, frosted windows, the only such windows in town... There was a choir gallery over the entrance, the chancel was ample with a beautiful walnut railing, the pews were walnut and white. There was a steeple holding a sweet-toned bell, presented by Trinity Parish, New York, and the prompt ringing of this bell, twice on Sunday and once on Wednesday evening, was the self-appointed and joyous task of John Burr, Senior Warden, during his life." The bell had arrived via the canal by way of Toledo and was later consecrated by Bishop John Hazen White. Support for the church remained cool. Mrs. Pratt recalled, "The attitude of the village was not sympathetic toward the new church; in fact, the [Episcopal] Church was not generally welcomed in this state."
  
  Several rectors came and went in quick succession in the 1850s and 1860s, many of them dividing their time between Delphi and Logansport. During some intervals the church went without a rector and suffered from insufficient lay support. An energetic rector, the Rev. H. L. Clode Braddon, served from 1884 to 1887 and under his leadership the parish grew in size and in the number of contributions. Braddon shared his duties with the Episcopal church in Attica, Indiana.
  
  In 1901, the congregation began construction of a second edifice of brick and stucco at 321 West Main Street, which was consecrated in 1904. It continued to struggle for regular support, however, and the parish register reveals many gaps in the number of baptisms, marriages, and burials when no clergyman was available to perform them. During these years the rectors of Trinity Logansport or St. John's Lafayette would conduct services on a sporadic basis. In the 1950s, the parish received a gift of $53,741 from the estate of Kathleen Morrison, to be held in trust of St. Mary's. However, declining membership forced the church to close its doors in 1966. The building still stands and serves as the Chapel Gallery, a local art gallery. The register of the church is housed in the diocesan archives.
  
  Clergy:
  
  Samuel Roosevelt Johnson, 1843
  Anson Clark, 1844-1845
  Bryan Bernard Killikelly, 1846-1848
  Edward Magee, 1848-1849
  Josiah Phelps, 1850-1851
  Walter Emlen Franklin, 1852-1854
  Alonzo James Madison Hudson, 1854-1858
  Elias Birdsall, 1858-1860
  Nathaniel Rue High, 1860-1862
  Samuel Edson, 1862-1866
  J. Edward Jackson, 1866
  Thomas Jefferson Taylor, 1867-1869
  Abraham V. Gorrell, 1871-1872
  Levi Burt Stimson, 1872-1876
  David Lardner Trimble, 1878-1879
  Henry Lawrence Clode Braddon, 1884-1887
  William Stone Hayward, 1887-1888
  Benjamin Franklin Miller, 1889
  George Moore, 1895
  David Funsten Ward, 1896
  James Henry Watkins Blake, 1897
  Walter Jay Lockton, 1898-1905
  Howard Russell White, 1905-1906
  Samuel Edson, 1906
  Henry Ritchie Neely, 1906
  Louis Thibou Scofield, 1908-1910
  Charles Frederic Westman, 1911
  Robert James Long, 1919-1920
  John Francis Plummer, 1920
  Howard Russell White, 1920-1928
  Joseph William Gubbins, 1928-1930
  William Edward Hoffenbacher, 1930-1935
  Raymond Mansfield O'Brien, 1938-1939
  Richard Dawson Taylor, 1940-1942
  Clarence Charles Reimer, 1943-1949
  Robert Chesleigh Holmes, 1949
  Gerald Lionel Claudius, 1951-1956
  Richard Arthur Curtis, 1956-1960
  Hugh Crichton Edsall, 1961-1963
  Thomas Fothergill Stoll, 1964-1966
  
  St. Mary's Parish Register of Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages and Burials, 1844-1959
  
  Vestry Minutes of St. Mary's, 1864-1887
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 1 2020-08-01T10:30:15-07:00 Rev. Elias Birdsall 3 St. Paul's, Mishawaka, 1857-1858 plain 2021-03-29T09:34:29-07:00 Rev, Elias Birdsall was born in Hammond, Lawrence County, New York, on 21 February 1830, the son of William and Maria Theresa (Trotwood) Birdsall. A graduate of Nashotah House Seminary in 1854, he served as rector of St. Paul's, Mishawaka, from 1857 to 1858. He married Cornelia Bennett on 2 May 1859 in St. Joseph County, Indiana, and moved to Evansville to become rector of St. Paul's from 1860 to 1864. During the Civil War he moved to California, and became the founding rector of St. Athanasius Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, reportedly the first Episcopal Church in southern California. There in 1865 he delivered a eulogy of Abraham Lincoln. He returned to Wisconsin briefly in the early 1870s before settling in Stockton and San Francisco.  One acquaintance recalled that Birdsall was "an admirable citizen" who believed that "every person who is a public speaker should make a special preparatory study of elocution."  He died on 4 November 1890 and is buried in Oakhill Cemetery, Evansville, Indiana.