St. James was named after the founder, Reverend James Evans, and built due to the growing congregation of the former St. John Methodist church which was just down the way on Greene Street. This is one of the first churches that I noticed within the downtown area due to its location. The church is tucked in at the edge of one of the main roadways to the Heart of Augusta.
The original two story structure was built in 1856 out of local fired brick for a total construction cost of about $9,700. Later in 1886, the belfry was add and the church building was expanded to further suit the growing church community.
Historical Note: President Eisenhower worshipped at St James in 1954 during his Presidency.
St. John is still a few blocks up on Greene Street. We were founded in 1798 and will be celebrating 225 years in the same location next week. Our current sanctuary was built in 1844.
ReplyDeleteSt John remains a United Methodist Church.Im not sure why you refer to it as “the former”.
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