The beautiful local limestone Gothic-style St. Mary's Episcopal Church faithful are blessed to have a Tintoretto panel and beautiful stained glass windows inside.
From the church website: (
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"The History of St. Mary’s by Jane McMillin
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Lampasas traces it origins to 1873 when the Rt. Rev. Alexander Gregg, first Bishop of Texas, licensed Dr. Thomas S. Denny as lay reader for a tiny handful of Episcopalians. Today, with 110 "baptized members in good standing”, the community of St. Mary’s can celebrate and draw inspiration from the persistent efforts and devotion of its predecessors who kept the church alive and thriving for 135 years.
. . . .
Two years later the Lampasas congregation received official recognition as mission of the Episcopal Church. However, it would take another 77 years before it secured its status as a parish.
Although there is no detailed record of where Episcopalians met for worship during their mission’s early years, there is at least one reference to services held in the county courthouse. It is also said that denominations, which had already built their churches, shared their space with others that had not yet constructed theirs. It is also likely that communicants gathered in the local schoolhouse and in private homes. It would be almost a decade before construction would start on an Episcopal church building in Lampasas.
. . . .
Within the context of Lampasas’ general prosperity, attention could be turned to securing a permanent home for the Episcopal mission. The cornerstone and foundation were laid in 1884, and that same year the mission got its first priest in residence. It is said that the mission was named St. Mary’s when the church was built. Notes in the historical files of the late Dr. Rush McMillin indicate that in 1884 St. Mary’s claimed 32 communicants.
The forward momentum of the church’s construction was short lived, however. When the railroad built farther west in 1885, Lampasas’ boom went bust. A slow economy and a severe drought made money scarce; and the church still labored under its debt. It would be six years before St. Mary’s was finished.
It is said the design of St. Mary’s was inspired by a church in Rugby, England, boyhood home of pioneer communicant W.T. Campbell. It is possible the legend has some merit, however more investigation is needed.
Described as Victorian Gothic in style, St. Mary’s is built on a simple rectangular plan with the altar at the east end. It has a steeply pitched roof, and pointed arch windows pierce the walls of native limestone. The entrance is through a crenellated bell tower that doubles as a narthex. Two large round windows toward the top of the bell tower provide examples of the simple colored glass that was originally used throughout the building. The rest of the windows have been replaced through the years by exquisite stained glass panels that have been given as memorials. Most of these windows were made either at mid-twentieth century or earlier.
Five out of 18 memorial windows honor those who are generally considered the main leaders in the effort to build St. Mary’s Church. Five other windows (counting one in the church office) memorialize various relatives of the church’s “founding fathers.” [end]
A historic marker on the front of St. Mary's reads as follows:
"St Mary's Episcopal Church
Built 1884 of native limestone. Oldest church in area still in use. Modeled after Gothic church in Rugby, England, birthplace of W. T. Campbell, pioneer communicant. Other parish founders include: A. H. Barnes, Dr. J. C. Bierbower, T. H. Haynie, W. C. Price, J. F. White, J. E. Raiburne, and W. H. Webber. Interior decor including oaken altar and pews is original. Sanctuary enhanced by famous Tintoretto panel. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1969"