St. Paul's Episcopal Church - Waco, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 31° 33.515 W 097° 08.072
14R E 677056 N 3493018
St. Paul’s has the distinction of being Waco’s oldest-standing church building still in use by its current congregation.
Waymark Code: WMQCTD
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 02/06/2016
Views: 2
From Waco History website:
On January 9, 1868, Bishop Alexander Gregg appointed Rev. Silas Dean Davenport to establish an Episcopalian mission within Waco. The Parish of St. Paul was subsequently organized on March 19, 1868, and the Reverend W. W. Patrick served as its first rector. St. Paul’s original congregants met outdoors and in private homes prior to the construction of a building on Fourth and Webster in 1870.
When that structure was sold to the city of Waco in 1878, the church moved to North Fifth Street and Columbus Avenue. While the new sanctuary was under construction, parishioners temporarily attended services in the building’s basement. In 1897, in order to accommodate increased numbers, the sanctuary underwent further renovations.
St. Paul’s bell tower is three stories tall and only accessible by ladder. It houses St. Paul’s antique bell. The bell is the only known item left from the original St. Paul’s location on the corner of Fourth and Webster. Though over a hundred years old, the bell still rings to welcome parishioners to church services every Sunday.