1895 - St. Mark's Episcopal Church - Big Timber, MT - Dated Buildings and Cornerstones on Waymarking.com

St. Mark's Episcopal Church exemplifies Gothic Revival architecture in its characteristically vertical emphasis ~ the steeply pitched roof, tall, narrow openings and high chimney. The windows and doors all employ the Gothic pointed arch, housing stained glass which glows on the interior. The masonry craftsmanship on the church is also noteworthy. The Yellowstone valley has a strong stone building tradition, and the skill of early masons is readily evident in the construction of St. Mark's church. Carefully cut and fitted rough-faced stonework lends the building a rich texture and solid presence.

The design for St. Mark's church was drawn up by Frank S. Hornbeck, a local architect. Born in upstate New York, Hornbeck moved with his wife in 1890 to Livingston, where he became a well known, longtime resident. During a forty year career in Livingston he designed many local commercial buildings and residences. St. Mark's Episcopal Church is one example of his work. Hornbeck retired in the early 1930s.
From the NRHP Registration Form

ST. MARK'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
The settlement of Big Timber coincided with the advent of the Northern Pacific Railroad, which steamed into the Yellowstone Valley in 1882, spurring settlement along the line. In 1884, Rev. Alfred Brown, an Episcopal minister from Livingston, held the town’s first Protestant church services in the local schoolhouse. The Rev. J. F. Pritchard of Livingston soon began conducting regular services and the Congregational church hospitably shared its facilities. With the encouragement of Rev. Pritchard in 1892, the Episcopal women’s guild began plans to build St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. The name was changed in 1895 to St. Mark’s and a subscription paper circulated, raising $900. St. Mark’s cornerstone was laid in the fall of 1895. Rev. Pritchard and the Rt. Rev. Dr. Leigh R. Brewer, Missionary Bishop of the Episcopal District of Montana, Idaho and Utah, conducted the first services in February of 1896. St. John’s Episcopal Church in Butte and individuals in Chicago and Waterton, New York, donated many of the interior furnishings for the $2,215 building. By 1899, the diligent fund-raising efforts of the women’s guild had cleared the debt. The beautiful Gothic Revival style stone building, designed by F. S. Hornbeck and constructed by skilled craftsmen under local builder O. M. Lanphear, reflects the English roots of the Episcopal church. Masterfully cut and fitted native limestone, the characteristic vertical emphasis of the Gothic style and exquisite stained glass make this truly an architectural gem. Historically significant as the town’s oldest standing church, St. Mark’s remains a handsome memorial to the dedicated members of its founding congregation.
From the plaque at the building