In the early 1840s Doylestown was a small community with only approximately 950 residents. Elizabeth Pawling Ross (1806-1882), wife of lawyer Thomas Ross, had to ride on horseback to Philadelphia once a month to receive Holy Communion in an Episcopal church.
It is said that to alleviate this journey she promoted the establishment of a local Episcopal church (the fourth church in Doylestown).
In April of 1946 a charter was adopted, the title of “St. Paul’s” was chosen for the parish name and Reverend Hopkins, a missionary priest living in Germantown, was named rector. Vestryman Henry Taylor sold a vacant lot of his land on York Street (now Oakland Avenue) to the new church.
The location was then on the outskirts of the borough and objections were made because it was isolated and too far from the built-up portion of town, but the committee overruled the objections and ground was broken.
Philadelphia architect John E. Carver designed a 37-foot by 60-foot stone building in the Gothic Revival style. On Sept. 9, 1946, Bishop Alonzo Potter placed the cornerstone into the foundation.
It was difficult to raise money to pay for construction but Reverend Hopkins never lost his hope or determination. After nearly two years and at a cost of about $5,000, double what the vestry had estimated, the church building was completed. The first service occurred on Sunday April 23, 1848. Attendance was good and there were “joyful feelings on the part of all.” It was reported that “waiting hearts were joyful even to tears on this occasion. The building was of stone and was an ornament to the town.”
Now, 175 years later, St. Paul’s parish invites the community to join in celebrating its Demisemiseptcentennial Anniversary on Sunday and Monday.
For more information, go to stpaulsdoylestown.org.
Source: A History of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, J. Kurt Spence, 2017, Doylestown Historical Society
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