The History Of Our Church

St. Luke's Episcopal Church is very nearly as old as Whitewater.  As early as 1842, just four years after Samuel Prince had built the first house, Father Philo and Father Cadle held occasional services in the settlement, and on March 20, 1852, St. Luke's Church existed as a legal and an ecclesiastical entity.  During the intervening decade, services were held at various places, in the town's little log schoolhouse and elsewhere.  But land was eventually purchased from Dr. James Tripp and on April 22, 1852, a frame church was consecrated by the famous and Rev. Bishop Kemper on the site of the present structure.

The wooden church stood on the corner of Church and Center Streets for almost a generation.  Before its altar, the parish baptized its children, solemnized its marriages, and held memorial services for its dead.  Its people prayed there for wisdom and justice in the anxious years of the Civil War and sang their thanksgiving when the war was over.  In 1867, they greeted a new era of peace and prosperity by thoroughly renovating the church and installing a beautiful new bell in its tower.  And then disaster struck:  on February 17, 1869, the church and all its contents except a new chalice and paten were destroyed by fire.  Without a cent of insurance, the parish was confronted with the loss of almost thirty years of patient and dedicated labor.

But a Church is more than a building.  It is the people themselves, their determination and faith.  Within three days, the people of St. Luke's had decided to build a new church on ashes of the old one.  In just four months, Bishop Kemper was called upon to lay the cornerstone and on November 3, 1869, less than a year after the fire, the church which has been a Whitewater landmark ever since was open for worship.

The new church was consecrated on December 15, 1874, by Bishop Welles.  Before another decade had passed, the rectory was built, and in 1902 the erection of the guild hall brought to a close a remarkable half century of sacrifice, courage, and labor.  In 1999, the old guild hall and rectory were razed to make way for a new addition: a 6,000 square foot Parish Hall and fully equipped kitchen with office space and classrooms. The new building was completed in April, 2000 and dedicated by Bishop Roger White.  This wonderful addition was made possible by a generous anonymous donor. 

We are currently searching for a new Vicar to work with us to develop our congregation and to serve the community.

--- This history was found in the "One Hundred Twenty Fifth Anniversary of Whitewater" book published in 1962.

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Last updated: 06/08/2007.