St. John's Episcopal Church and Cemetery - Thibodaux, LA - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Long Description:
Lots of history with this church. Cornerstone laid by Bishop Leonidas K. Polk on February 9, 1843. The cemetery hold the tomb of Francis Tillou Nicholls, Brigadier-General in the Confederate Army, twice Governor of Louisiana and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of Louisiana. It was for him that Nicholls State University in Thibodaux was named.
Real good history comes from the Register application, located here.

St. John's Episcopal Church is locally important because it is the oldest remaining church building of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana west of the Mississippi River. The square on which it is located has been the home of the church parish since it was organized by Bishop Leonidas K. Polk on February 9, 1843. Even though the building underwent some alterations in 1856 and again in 1867-68, it is still a good example of the Greek Revival style, with its classical pilasters across the front and two sides, its entablature with dentiled cornice, and its pedimented gable end on the front. The use of the Greek Revival style for St. John's Church, probably due to its 1840's date of construction, separates it somewhat at least visually from the other Episcopal churches started by Bishop Polk in Louisiana. Most, if not all, of these other churches, which were built in the mid-nineteenth century, are believed to be in the Gothic Revival style.
St. John's suffered interior damage from occupation by Federal troops during the Civil War. Services were suspended at that time. The church was repaired and refurbished after the Civil War, and a recessed chancel was built in 1867-68, with a stained glass window in the west wall, at a cost of $1,500.00 This was the last structural change to the fabric of St. John's Church, although the original stained glass window was replaced in 1937 by the present one. The exterior brick received a cumulative layer of yellow paint, covering the soft red brick until 1969 when it was removed. Thus, St. John's Episcopal Church now appears to passersby on Jackson Street as it did in the mid-nineteenth century.

Street address: 702 Jackson St. Thibodaux, LA USA 70301 County / Borough / Parish: Lafourche Year listed: 1977 Historic significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event Period of significance: 1825-1849 Historic function: Funerary, Religion. Sub - Cemetery, Religious Structure Current function: Funerary, Religion. Sub - Cemetery, Religious Structure Privately owned?: yes [U.S.] National Register of Historic Places URL: [Web Link] Website (secondary): [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed

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