Right beside the sandstone fence that runs along Main Road (aka Old Hume Highway) is the Historical Marker that also has some photos/drawings of the church in earlier days. The text reads:
St Stephen's Anglican Church
"In 1875, The Fitzroy Bessemer Steel, Hematite Iron and Coal Company, Limited promised an acre of land for the erection of a church, however, no legal title deed was issued. It was not until over fifty years later that Reverend Clifton Plessey Brown and his churchwardens finally obtained a deed.
"Colonial architect, Edmund Thomas Blacket, designed the church, and in 1878, Frederick Draper, a local builder and proprietor of the Commercial Hotel (Mittagong), constructed it to a modified design.
"The church cost over £1000 to build. Donations ranged from two shillings and sixpence (2/6d) to fifty pounds (£50). One contributor raised the total to £350, but with one condition: that pew rents (or sittings) not be charge in the new church.
"Reverend Frederick Charles Williams was the first full-time rector.
"In 1928, the church was extended with dressed sandstone from the Commercial Hotel, which had been demolished earlier that year.
"One of the church's and town's greatest supporters was a gifted musician, Mrs Maud Ingoldby, who was also an experienced organiser of fund-raising events. Her Talents enabled the purchase of a piano for the St Stephen's Ladies Gould, and in 1928, Mrs Ingoldby and her Blue Bell League, raised money to pay for the St Stephen's Memorial Bell, which is still rung today.
"The new parish hall was built in 2007 to replace the original weatherboard structure erected in the late 1800's. It incorporates the Christian Education Centre, and forms an integral part of the church's facilities.
"The support provided by the parishioners is reflected in the fabric of the building. For example, all the stained-glass windows are dedicated to individuals and families.
"The Vance family paid for the front porch. Miss Winifred West, headmistress of Frensham School, and her family gifted the steel gates. The Worner family donated a stone wall that once enclosed a portion of the church grounds.
"Today, the church is openly community-based, thanks to the ministry led by Reverend Richard Mills."
CHURCH OF ENGLAND c.1884.
This drawing of St Stephen's Church also depicts adjacent buildings within the town. The railway station and it two-storey refreshment rooms, with their distinctive verandah are in the distance. The police station is between the church and the railway station. Image source: Richardson & Wrench Land Sale Catalogue 1884.
ST STEPHEN'S CHURCH c.1950
Addition of the porches, stone pillars and the new gates feature in this photograph. The dormer windows have been removed, and the roof has been renovated with tiles. Photo courtesy of Dr Leah Day.
ST STEPHEN'S CHURCH 2015
The tiled roof was replaced with galvanised iron in 2014. The timber-framed glass was donated by Frensham School in 1968. The central foyer in the foreground links the church to the Christian Education Centre. Photo courtesy of Lawrie Ball.
ST STEPHEN'S CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CENTRE 2015.
Erected in 2007, it replaced a church hall built in the late 1800's. Facilities in the centre include an auditorium, meeting rooms, a commercial kitchen and offices. The centre is in constant use, supporting church and community groups. Photo courtesy of Lawrie Ball.
Visited: 1949, Saturday, 20 January, 2018