History

Historic Notes:

Between 1798 and 1856, Augusta, Georgia had only one Methodist Church
—known as the Augusta Station (or Methodist Station).

In 1854, the church recognized the need for a second location to serve the rapidly growing population in the lower eastern part of the city (now known as the Olde Town Historical District). With great reluctance to divide the congregation, they nevertheless voted to establish a second church.

In 1855, the property at 439 Greene Street was purchased, a church building erected, and in 1856 the 'Methodist Station' became two churches, St. John and St. James.

As St. James’ Sunday School and choir grew in popularity and size, renovations were made to accommodate the growth.

In 1886-1887, a belfry was added, and the church was greatly enlarged to its present Gothic structure.

In 1895, the magnificent Hook and Hastings Pipe Organ was purchased at the Atlanta exposition for $3,000. It was dismantled, shipped by rail, and delivered by horse-drawn wagon to St. James, where it was reassembled. Although the Hook and Hastings was replaced with an Austin 3-manual electric powered pipe organ in 1950, the beautifully toned pipes from the Hook and Hastings still grace the Sanctuary today.

Mercifully, the great fire of 1916 that destroyed so much of Augusta skipped St. James, although many parishioners’ homes were burned to the ground. Despite personal losses, the congregation voted to build a brick parsonage beside the church. Today this structure serves as the Ministry Building, housing the church offices along with Methodist Family Services and Augusta Urban Ministries.

St. James Historic Marker

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St. James United Methodist Church

Founded in 1856

Historic Maker

for St. James United Methodist Church
439 Greene Street, Augusta GA 30901

The Inscription Reads:
In 1798 the Methodist Church was incorporated in Augusta and known as the “Augusta Station.” St. John Methodist Episcopal Church was the mother church formed out of this movement and St. James Methodist Episcopal Church was created in 1854 as an outgrowth of St. John. St. John secured the lot for the new church in 1855 and by 1856, a two-story brick building was completed at a cost of $9,661. St. James was named in honor of Reverend James E. Evans, its founder. In 1886, the church building was enlarged, a belfry erected, and the façade improved.

The white marble monument across the street was erected by a St. James Sunday School class in memory of those who had lost their lives in the Civil War. 24 church members’ and 261 other Augustans’ names are inscribed on the monument. The cenotaph was unveiled on December 31, 1873.

The building adjacent to the church was built in 1916 as the parsonage.
It was renamed the “Ministry Building” in 1981.

President Eisenhower worshipped here on January 3, 1954.

Emma S. Lester, an early missionary to China wrote in the history of the church this statement:
“May St. James shine as a beacon light for centuries to come, and when the summons come that time shall be no more, may the beams from her light ever to the portals of heaven.”

Erected by Historic Augusta, Inc. and St. James United Methodist Church.