It's not every day that one may call an 1885 church "new". The older St. James, on the west side of the highway, was built in 1841, with this, the 1885 church, following 44 years later. After construction of the new St. James, the old St. James was used for some time as a Sunday School. Today Old St. James Church is run as a heritage and genealogy centre.
Rather well decorated, new St. James was given a bell tower and steeple, as opposed to the meeting house style old St. James. Standing at the southwest corner of the nave, the tower has a tall eight sided spire with a metal cross at the top and a very nice Gothic door at the bottom. The door is slightly recessed in a heavy wooden frame with the arch forming a pronounced hood encompassing the transom. Stepped corner pilasters run to the top of the belfry, framing a lancet window on the side to the left of the door and lancet vents on each side of the belfry. The cornice has wide dentils all around. All windows in the building are lancet with thin hoods over each.
The church remains in use to this day, as does the cemetery which surrounds old St. James. The rectory, built in 1915, stands a short distance south of the church. Two earlier rectories had been built, in 1852 and 1877.
By 1841 a church had been built at Port Hill. It was named St. James Church and was consecrated on June 12,1843 by the Bishop. Rev. William Roche was appointed to Port Hill as its first resident missionary followed by Rev. W.H. Cooper in 1846 and Rev. Henry B. Swabey in 1853. A rectory of stone construction was built in 1852, at some distance from St. James Church in Port Hill. A new one was built in 1877. The present rectory, adjacent to the church, was built in 1915.
The new St. James' church was built in 1885 directly across the road from the old church. The cost of construction was $3197. It is recorded that Thomas H. Pope, John Maynard, Jr. and Thomas Adams were appointed to procure plans and specifications for the church in 1882. The church was opened for Divine Services, September 20, 1885.
In addition to regular Sunday Services, the congregation was involved in concerts, goose suppers, and strawberry festivals. At picnics in the early 1900s, young ladies with beautifully decorated baskets were allowed in free.
From Island Lives