St. James Episcopal Church - Deer Lodge, MT
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 46° 24.006 W 112° 44.035
12T E 366710 N 5139963
This beautiful stone church has stood for 136 years as of 2014. With and without a priest, it has been in continuous use ever since. It is now on its fifth life, having survived four fires in that time.
Waymark Code: WMN46C
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 12/23/2014
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member silverquill
Views: 1

The first Episcopal services were held in Deer Lodge in 1868 with Bishop Daniel Tittle conducting services. The church did not have a resident priest until 1875, when Reverend Mahlon Norris Gilbert took over the little congregation. Still without a church, services were held at the town hall then later at the courthouse.

On December 2, 1877, after years of fundraising, the first services were held in St. James Episcopal, the same church that serves the congregation today. Built of locally quarried stone, it was built by the Reverend and the parishioners. At the time the little town of Deer Lodge had a population of about 500.

The bell tower of this church is somewhat different in that its base is incorporated into the corner walls of the church, with the square bell tower and octagonal spire rising directly from them. Given that the building was constructed by the parishioners, this may well have been a way of minimizing labour, cost and materials. In any event, it provides a place to hang the church's bell, it works, and it provides the church with a slightly "different" appearance.

On November 23, 2011, the Silver State Post published the first of a series of articles on the religious history of Deer Lodge, Montana. This article, entitled "Local Faiths: St. James Episcopal", was the first of the series. Much of the historical information contained therein is from the memories of a 90 year old parishioner, Marge Beck, who joined the parish in 1921.

Distribution and reproduction of archived articles at the Silver State Post website is prohibited so, instead of reproducing it here, I've provided a link to The Story on the Silver State Post's website.
Address of Tower:
307 Cottonwood Avenue
Deer Lodge, MT USA
59722


Still Operational: yes

Number of bells in tower?: 1

Relevant website?: [Web Link]

Tours or visits allowed in tower?: No

Rate tower: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please post an original picture of the tower taken while you were there. Please also record how you came to be at this tower and any other interesting information you learned about it while there.
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