St. Paul's Church and St, John's Episcopal Church

St. Paul's Church and St, John's Episcopal Church

Churches; Decatur, AL; Morgan County, AL

Formed in 1867, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church served the people of Decatur until 1930. Located in Old Decatur, the church served a thriving population who prospered from the trade that the Tennessee River generated. However, in 1888 two events worked to change St. Paul’s immensely. First, a yellow fever epidemic hit Decatur and many survivors left the community. Second, St. Paul’s burned to the ground and the congregation split over where to build the new church. Many parishioners wanted to keep the congregation in Old Decatur, while others wanted to build in New Decatur. The advocates for building in New Decatur decided to withdraw from the congregation and formed St. John’s. However, the two congregations remained closely tied together. In fact, in 1892, Dr. Erasus Wooster Spalding came to Decatur to serve both churches. By 1893, the congregation of St. John’s raised enough money to build a church, which still serves the congregation today. St. Paul’s continued to serve Old Decatur until 1930.

Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama

Historic Neighborhood National Register Inventory
Morgan County Archives

http://stjohnsdecatur.dioala.org/

Alabama Cultural Resource Survey

1889

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