 Appleton,
Wisconsin, saw its first house built in 1848, its first mail
delivery in 1849, its first bridge over the Fox River in 1851, its
first county court session in 1852, its first paper mill in 1854 — and
its first Episcopal parish in 1856.
It is recorded that the Rt. Rev. Jackson Kemper,
missionary bishop of practically everywhere in the upper Midwest
(pictured), held
the first Episcopal service in Appleton in 1854 or 1855 — and most
accounts say it exactly that way: 1854 or 1855 — but the parish as such
was officially organized in 1856, making 2006 the sesquicentennial year
(150th anniversary) of All Saints Church.
Appleton’s first “regular” rector was the Rev. Simeon Palmer, who lived
in and also served as rector in Menasha. The Rev. Mr. Palmer started
the process of constructing the first permanent church building,
although he died of typhoid fever, brought on, we are told, by
overwork, before it was completed.
That building, named Grace Episcopal Church (pictured), was
located at the northwest corner of Appleton and Edwards Streets, now
Appleton and Washington Streets, on land given by Boston philanthropist
Amos Lawrence. Bishop Kemper laid the cornerstone in 1864.
In 1883, Grace Church’s wooden building was
moved
to the present church site, the northeast corner of College Avenue
and Drew Street, with the entrance facing Drew.
In 1905, the wooden church was moved again, across Drew Street to the
present site of the Outagamie Museum, formerly the Masonic Temple, to
make way for the construction of the stone church whose centennial was
observed with a special service and reception on October 2, 2005. An
estimated 1,500 to 2,000 people attended the cornerstone-laying
service, presided
over by Bishop C. C. Grafton, on October 1, 1905.
1905 was also the year when the
name of the
parish was changed from Grace Church to All Saints Church, although not
without a bit of grumbling.
The first service in the completed building was celebrated on Easter
Sunday, April 15, 1906. Bishop Reginald H. Weller preached; the Rev. S.
P. Delany was rector.
A new pipe organ was donated in April 1929, a two-manual, 15-stop,
electric-action organ built by the Austin Organ Company, Hartford,
Connecticut.
On All Saints Day 1930, the parish celebrated its 75th anniversary with
special services presided over by Bishops Reginald Weller and Harwood
Sturtevant. There also was a dinner on the previous Friday evening,
with speeches by the mayor and other notables.
The 80th anniversary of the Episcopal parish in Appleton was celebrated
on All Saints Sunday 1936 with regular services, a notice in the Sunday
bulletin, and a United Thank Offering (UTO) collection.
At 3:50 a.m., November 30, 1949, a
taxi driver
reported that a fire had broken out at All Saints. The fire started in
the basement and burned through the floor, causing the altar to fall
into the basement and charring the rest of the interior of the church.
The altar, which was fairly new, the reredos, the organ, the carved
choir stalls, a Tiffany window, and the bishop’s chair were destroyed,
but the baptistry was spared. Vestments and other fabrics were
smoke-damaged. The total loss was estimated at $75,000.
The congregation worshiped at the Masonic Temple during reconstruction.
The insurance coverage on the building had recently been upgraded and
was sufficient to cover $90,000 of the $150,000 needed. The additional
$60,000 was immediately subscribed by the congregation. Hoffman
Construction was the contractor for the rebuilding. Memorials were
rigorously encouraged and reported on for the next few years. The first
service in the restored church was on Christmas Eve 1950.
A new organ was installed in December 1951. This
one had 20 ranks, 1,400 pipes and two manuals; had been designed by
LaVahn Maesch, professor of organ at Lawrence College; and was built by
the M. P. Moller Organ Company of Hagerstown, Maryland. Ernest White of
the Moller Company oversaw the tonal design.
Bishop Sturtevant officially rededicated All
Saints with special
services featuring the new organ on All Saints Sunday 1952.
In 1955, All Saints purchased the corner property at Drew and
Washington Streets. Since the rectory was directly behind the church,
All Saints now owned all the land from College along Drew Street.
In 1956, the parish celebrated its
100th anniversary with a week-long
celebration. Events included Bishop William H. Brady visiting and
confirming on Sunday, November 4, an Altar Guild reunion on Monday, a
Silver Tea for the long-time members of the Women’s Auxiliary on
Tuesday, and a service of Evensong on Wednesday with the Rev. Edmund
Ringland, dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral, as preacher. On Thursday, there
was a lecture on “The Romance of Canterbury Cathedral,” and on Friday,
there was a Requiem Eucharist in commemoration of departed
parishioners. On Saturday, the Centennial Banquet was held at the
Masonic Temple.
In October 1958, All Saints and Lawrence College together purchased the
house that bordered the Rosebush property and All Saints Church. The
property was split so that the lot lines from College to Washington
would be straight.
In 1959, building plans for the parish center
were approved, and the rectory and the neighboring house on the corner
were torn down.
Construction began in 1960 and was completed in
January 1961. Parish
“work parties” painted and did other finishing work. The dedication of
the parish center was on April 30, 1961.
All Saints acquired the property north of the Masonic Temple across
Drew Street in 1967. It was rented out until 1971, when it was torn
down to build the parking lot.
All Saints helped with the celebration for the 100th anniversary of the
Diocese of Fond du Lac in 1975.
St. Francis Chapel was created in the early 1980s.
October 29-November 1, 1981, the
parish celebrated 125 years with youth
services and a circus party on Thursday, an anniversary tea on Friday,
a Mass of Resurrection for departed members, and a dinner with
entertainment at Riverview Country Club on Saturday. On Sunday, Bishops
William L. Stevens and William H. Brady celebrated the Eucharist, and
there was an organ recital and solemn Evensong followed by a reception.
The cross currently on the altar in Grace Chapel had been damaged in
the 1949 fire and received substantial restoration in 1991.
In 1993, a columbarium in which members of the parish and their
families could place their ashes following cremation was installed in
St. Mary’s Chapel.
In May 1994, All Saints hosted the consecration of Bishop Russell E.
Jacobus. Bagpipes led the procession from All Saints to the Lawrence
Memorial Chapel.
In 1995, new stained glass windows were created
for St. Mary’s Chapel, designed by Thomas Dietrich. In 2003, three
additional windows, depicting Old Testament scenes and designed by
Philip Sealy, were dedicated by Bishop Jacobus in a ceremony that also
included the naming of Grace Chapel.
In April 1999, the handicapped-access project was completed at a total
cost of $317,525, adding an elevator, a wheelchair lift, and an
accessible restroom to assist individuals with disabilities.
In 2002, the organ was rebuilt, enlarged, and upgraded by the John-Paul
Buzzart Organ Company of Champaign, Illinois.
Anne A. Lang, a member of the parish, was ordained deacon on November
6, 2004 and assigned to All Saints.
In 2005, two gathering spaces in the Parish Center were renamed to
honor key figures in the early history of the Episcopal Church in
Appleton. Room 10, on the lower level, became Jackson Kemper Hall, and
Room 22, where coffee hours are held after Sunday 10:00 a.m. services,
has been designated the Simeon Palmer Fellowship Room.
All Saints' sesquicentennial observance began on
October 2, 2005, with a commemoration of the centennial of the 1905
laying of the cornerstone of the present church and continued
throughout 2006 with additional special events, choral performances,
and services, including a Sesquicentennial Choral Evensong service on
May 11.
The Anglican Communion
The
Episcopal Church, USA
The
Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac
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