Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana Archives

St. Paul's Episcopal Mission, Rochester (defunct)

St. Paul's was established in Rochester by Bishop Joseph Talbot in 1878 and placed under the charge of St. Thomas, Plymouth. Information about this mission remains sketchy, and no records have survived. In 1888, a newspaper notice indicates that Bishop Knickerbacker preached there with the assistance of the Rev. Thomas D. Kemp of Plymouth. In 1899, when the new diocese opened, the Rev. William Wirt Raymond of Plymouth held monthly services in Rochester. In 1902, Raymond reported only five families and 13 souls in the mission, with a total of $85 collected. No further reports appear again until 1913, when the Ven. James A. Boynton reopened and repaired the church. Services were held sporadically, but by 1921 Archdeacon White reported the mission having only three members and closing.