St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte
St. Paul’s is the fourth oldest Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Northern Indiana, incorporated on St. James Day, July 25, 1839, shortly after St. Paul’s in Mishawaka, 1837, Trinity in Michigan City, 1838, and Christ Church in Fort Wayne in May 1839. However, the history of Episcopalians in La Porte can be traced back at least as far as 1835, when visiting clergy conducted services in town. In August 1837, the Missionary Bishop of Indiana, the Rt. Rev. Jackson Kemper, made his first visit to La Porte and recorded in his diary the baptism of “Dr. Rose’s sick child at home on August 15, 1837, prior to the evening service in the Court House.” The first recorded baptism was that of two-year-old Thomas Lafayette Johnson on November 24, 1838. The Rev. Daniel V. M. Johnson of Michigan City also conducted services before the parish was organized.
St. Paul's first rector was the Rev. Solon Manney, who served the parish for ten years, during which time he began a parochial school where “common and high English, Latin, and Greek were taught.” He also served as head of La Porte University, from which the Mayo brothers graduated before moving to Rochester, Minnesota, and founding the Mayo Clinic. After leaving La Porte, Manney founded what is now Seabury Western Seminary.
Early in the 1840s the southeast corner of Indiana and Maple Avenue was purchased for a church site. However, the property was later exchanged for the present location and “fifty dollars, half in cash and the balance in hewed timbers suitable for the church frame.” The first church building was constructed in 1846 and consecrated by Bishop Kemper on March 2, 1848. Before this time, a member of the congregation said her father “had hauled the benches to and from the places of worship.”
The present Indiana limestone building, an example of English Gothic architecture designed by Fort Wayne architects John F. Wing and Marshall S, Mahurin, was built in 1897 and consecrated in 1898. A local newspaper editor called it “the most imposing church building in La Porte if not in northern Indiana.” The church contained an 1872 organ built by Steer & Turner, which was restored in 1979. More recently, in 2009, an anonymous gift of $60,000 by a parishioner made it possible to renovate the exterior of the building.
In 1954 a $1,000 gift started a fund for a new Parish House, which was completed in 1957. In 1959 a new heating system was installed. The present building was built for $92,000 with only $20,000 remaining to be paid five years later.The two priests who served St. Paul’s the longest are the Rev. George Childs from 1927-49 and the Rev. B. Linford Eyrick from 1956-92.
In 1963 the church sanctuary and nave were remodeled, including new altar, new pews, and new floor. On Tuesday, January 15, 1963, the new altar was consecrated and blessed by Bishop Mallett. The top of the altar is a piece of golden marble mined in the Holy Land; the fifteen foot crucifix is made of white oak and carved limba wood; the tabernacle is bronze and oak, flanked by eight bronze candlesticks. The original sanctuary light has since been replaced. New faceted glass windows were dedicated on May 3, 1963, three of which were given in memory of the Rev. George J. Childs, former rector. The windows depict the four evangelists, St. Paul, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the sacraments, and the corporal works of mercy.
The ministry of the Rev. B. Linford Eyrick spanned from 1956 to 1992 and was the most consequential. He came to La Porte after serving as rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Hoosick Falls, New York. He had attended the Hoosac School and Hobart College, and received his seminary training at General Theological Seminary with his degree in 1948. Once in La Porte, he baptized much of the Baby Boom generation of the parish, served several diocesan offices, and was a respected leader in the community. When he arrived, his wife Winnie suggested that the parish open a pre-school, which ran successfully for the next 66 years before eventually closing in 2019. Eyrick died in 1995, three years after his retirement.
In later years the church was served by the Rev. Richard Alford, who left the Episcopal Church for the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as the Rev. Glenn Kanestrom, the Rev. Jamie Jones, the Rev. Anthony Clavier, the Rev. Thomas Kincaid, the Rev. Paul Nesta, and most recently, the Rev. Cn. Michelle Walker, who divides her time as priest-in-charge with being a diocesan missioner for Bishop Douglas Sparks.
Clergy:
Daniel Van Mater Johnson, 1838-1839
Solon Wines Manney, 1839-1849
Hiram M. Roberts, 1851
Franklin Reeve Haff, 1852
Walter Emlen Franklin, 1854-1856
Almon Gregory, 1856-1861
Addis Emmett Bishop, 1862-1864
James Hervey Lee, 1864-1867
Frank Mark Gregg, 1867-1869
George John Magill, 1869-1875
Walter Scott, 1872-1873
Charles Thompson Coerr, 1875
James Taylor Chambers, 1875-1877
Andrew Mackie, 1877-1878
James Langhorne Boxer, 1879-1881
Rush Spencer Eastman, 1883-1886
Walter Scott, 1886-1894
Asa Appleton Abbott, 1894-1895
Thomas Bennington Barlow, 1895-1899
Edward Lemuel Roland Jr., 1899-1902
Addison Alvord Ewing, 1902-1904
Joseph Cooper Hall, 1904-1905
Arthur Edgar Gorter, 1906-1908
Lawrence Southworth Kent, 1908-1910
Daniel Le Baron Goodwin, 1911-1917
Francis John Edmund Barwell-Walker, 1918-1927
George Jay Childs, 1927-1948
Eric F. Pearson, 1949-1951
Robert Frank Royster, 1952-1956
Benjamin Linford Eyrick, 1956-1992
Richard Alford, 1992-1995
Glenn W. Kanestrom, 1997-2002
James Place "Jamie" Jones, 2002-2008
Anthony F. M. Clavier, 2008-2011
S. Thomas Kincaid, 2012-2015
Paul A. Nesta, 2015-2018
John Houghton, 2019-2020 (interim)
Michelle I. Walker, 2020-
Parish Register 1838-1865
Parish Register, 1838-1910
Parish Register, 1911-1939
Parish Register C, Baptisms Confirmations, and Burials, 1940-1979
This page references:
- Rev. Almon Gregory of St. Paul's, La Porte, St. John's, Bristol, and St. Thomas, Plymouth
- Rev. Addis Emmett Bishop, rector of St. Paul's, La Porte, and St. John's, Elkhart
- Rev. Eric F. Pearson, St. Paul's, La Porte
- Rev. Edward L. Roland, St. Paul's, La Porte, St. James, Goshen, and Trinity, Logansport
- Rev. Linford Eyrick, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte, at the Diocesan Convention, South Bend, 1983
- St. Paul's La Porte, installation of Rev. Thomas Kincaid, 20 Jan. 2013, with Bishop Little
- Rev. Andrew Mackie, rector of St. Paul's, La Porte, and Trinity, Peru
- St. Paul's, La Porte, confirmands with Rev. Paul Nesta and Bishop Sparks, 3 June 2018
- Rev. Frank M. Gregg, rector of St. Paul's, La Porte, and organizer of St. James, South Bend
- St. Paul's, La Porte, Rev. Paul Nesta and confirmands with Bishop Sparks, 3 June 2018 2
- St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte, exterior, 1966
- St. Paul's, La Porte, evensong 26 March 2018 with Bishop Sparks and Rev. Paul Nesta 3
- St. Paul's, La Porte, Bishop Little holding baby, Sep 2015
- St. Paul's, La Porte, visitation of Bishop Sparks, 4 Jun 2017, with Rev. Paul Nesta and unidentified
- Confirmation, St. Paul'ls La Porte with Rev. Michelle Walker and Bishop Douglas Sparks, 2023
- St. Paul's, La Porte, sign, 4 June 2017
- St. Paul's, La Porte, Bishop Little, Rev. Thomas Kincaid, and confirmands, 29 March 2015
- Rev. George Jay Childs of La Porte with son Philip
- St. Paul's, La Porte, interior, 1980s
- Rev. B. Linford Eyrick at baptism, 1980s, St. Paul's La Porte
- Rev. Linford Eyrick, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte
- Rev. D. LeBaron Goodwin, St. Paul's, La Porte
- Bishop William Sheridan and Rev. Linford Eyrick at Diocesan Convention in St. Paul's, La Porte, 1981
- Rev. James T. Chambers, St. Paul's, La Porte
- St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte exterior, modern
- St. Paul's, La Porte, Bishop Little, Rev. Thomas Kincaid, and unidentified, 29 March 2015
- St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte, postcard, early 1900s
- St. Paul's, La Porte, Sunday School class 1980s
- St. Paul's, La Porte choir, undated
- Rev. Linford Eyrick, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte, speaking
- Acolytes at 1981 Diocesan Convention at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte
- Rev. Jamie Jones, St. Paul's, La Porte
- Rev. Joseph C. Hall, St. Paul's, La Porte
- St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte exterior, modern winter
- St. Paul's, La Porte, chancel, Palm Sunday, 29 March 2015
- St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte, alternate postcard, early 1900s
- St. Paul's, La Porte, ECW and Altar Guild members 1980s
- Rev. Daniel Van Mater Johnson at St. Paul's La Porte
- Rev. Linford Eyrick, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte, at 1975 Convention
- Rev. Franklin R. Haff in later years
- Rev. Robert Royster at St. Paul's, La Porte
- St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte, postcard, winter scene, early 1900s
- St. Paul's, La Porte, parish library 1970s
- Rev. Addison A. Ewing at St. Paul's La Porte
- Delegation from St. Paul's La Porte at a Diocesan Convention, with Rev. Linford Eyrick
- Rev. George J. Magill, St. Paul's, La Porte
- St. Paul's, La Porte, congregation with Bishop Sparks, 3 June 2018
- Rev. Rush S. Eastman, St. Paul's, La Porte
- St. Paul's, La Porte, Bishop Little, Rev. Thomas Kincaid, and confirmands, 16 Feb. 2014
- St. Paul's La Porte Blessing of Icons, Easter 2023
- Rev. Arthur E. Gorter of St. Paul's, La Porte
- St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte, exterior
- Rev. Glenn W. Kanestrom, St. Paul's, La Porte
- St. Paul's, La Porte, evensong 26 March 2018 with Bishop Sparks
- Rev. Thomas B. Barlow, St. Paul's, La Porte
- St. Paul's, La Porte, exterior, 16 Feb. 2014
- Rev. Lawrence S. Kent, St. Paul's La Porte
- Confirmations and Receptions with Bishop Douglas Sparks and Rev. Michelle Walker, 2023, St. Paul's La Porte
- Rev. Asa A. Abbott of St. Paul's, La Porte
- St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte, exterior, view 2
- Rev. Hiram M. Roberts, earlier rector of St. Paul's La Porte
- St. Paul's, La Porte, evensong 26 March 2018 with Bishop Sparks 2
- Rev. Walter E. Franklin, St. Paul's La Porte and other parishes
- St. Paul's, La Porte, Bishop Tony Burton, Rev. Thomas Kincaid, and Bishop Little, 18 Oct. 2014
- Rev. Francis J. Barwell-Walker, one time rector of St. Paul's, La Porte
- Rev. Solon W. Manney 2, rector at Trinity Michigan City and St. Paul's La Porte
- Rev. B. Linford Eyrick, St. Paul's La Porte, later years
- St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte, interior
- Rev. James H. Lee. St. Paul's, La Porte
- St. Paul's, La Porte, visitation of Bishop Sparks, 4 Jun 2017 2
- Rev. Walter Scott, St. Paul's, La Porte and other parishes
- St. Paul's, La Porte, celebration, 18 Oct. 2014, with Bishop Tony Burton
- Rev. George Jay Childs, St. Paul's, La Porte
- St. Paul's, La Porte, exterior, 1980s
- Rev. Michelle Walker, St. Paul's La Porte portrait
- St. Paul's, La Porte, interior, 1960s, before redecoration, with Rev. B. Linford Eyrick
- Rev. Addison A. Ewing, rector of St. John's, Bristol
- Rev. Charles T. Coerr, St. Paul's, La Porte
- St. Paul's Episcopal Church, La Porte, interior chapel with baptistery
- Rev. James L. Boxer, St. Paul's, La Porte
- St. Paul's, La Porte, visitation of Bishop Sparks, 4 Jun 2017 3