Inside the church are many stained glass windows, some of which appear to be original and some of which were installed later. Most are dedicated to past parishioners. This window, one of the nicer ones in the church, was donated in memory of John Benny Truscott & Jessie O. Truscott. John Benny Truscott was born in Fairbury, Nebraska, USA on October 1, 1880 to Arthur Lewis Truscott and Addie Marie Williams. John Benny married Jessie Oliver and had one child. He passed away on 10 Jan 1958 in Deer Lodge, Montana. Jessie Oliver Truscott was born on Aug 27, 1898 and passed away in Deer Lodge in July of 1979.
The plaque below the window reads:
To The Glory of God
In Memoriam
John Benny Truscott
Jessie O. Truscott
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.
St. James was the second congregation to have a church in Deer Lodge, the first being the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, which opened their second church in 1875.
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.