text: UFDC Home | Help | RSS TABLE OF CONTENTS HIDE Title Page Table of Contents Abstract Back Matter Title: Bellwether Parish CITATION THUMBNAILS PAGE IMAGE ZOOMABLE Full Citation STANDARD VIEW MARC VIEW Permanent Link: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/FS00000101/00001 Material Information Title: Bellwether Parish Series Title: Bellwether Parish Physical Description: Book Creator: Willis, Lee Record Information Bibliographic ID: FS00000101 Volume ID: VID00001 Source Institution: Florida State University Holding Location: Florida State University Rights Management: All rights reserved by the source institution and holding location. Resource Identifier: ltqf - AAA2096 Table of Contents Title Page Page i Page ii Table of Contents Page iii Abstract Page iv Abstract 2 Abstract 3 Abstract 4 Abstract 5 Abstract 6 Abstract 7 Abstract 8 Abstract 9 Abstract 10 Abstract 11 Abstract 12 Abstract 13 Abstract 14 Abstract 15 Abstract 16 Abstract 17 Abstract 18 Abstract 19 Abstract 20 Abstract 21 Abstract 22 Abstract 23 Abstract 24 Abstract 25 Abstract 26 Abstract 27 Abstract 28 Abstract 29 Abstract 30 Abstract 31 Abstract 32 Abstract 33 Abstract 34 Abstract 35 Abstract 36 Abstract 37 Abstract 38 Abstract 39 Abstract 40 Abstract 41 Abstract 42 Abstract 43 Abstract 44 Abstract 45 Abstract 46 Abstract 47 Abstract 48 Abstract 49 Abstract 50 Abstract 51 Page 2 Page 4 Page 6 Page 8 Page 10 Page 12 Page 14 Page 16 Page 18 Page 20 Page 22 Page 24 Page 26 Page 28 Page 30 Page 32 Page 34 Page 36 Page 38 Page 40 Page 42 Page 44 Page 46 Page 48 Page 50 Page 52 Page 54 Page 56 Page 58 Page 60 Page 62 Page 64 Page 66 Page 68 Page 70 Page 72 Page 74 Page 76 Page 78 Page 80 Page 82 Page 84 Page 86 Page 88 Page 90 Page 92 Page 94 Page 96 Page 98 Page 100 Back Matter Page 101 Full Text THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES BELLWETHER PARISH: A HISTORY OF TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1835-1915. By LEE L. WILLIS, III A Thesis submitted to the Program in American and Florida Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 1998 The members of the Committee approve the thesis of Lee L. Willis, III defended on July 6, 1998. Leo Sandon Professor directing thesis William W. Rogers Committee Member Anne Rowe Committee Member TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ............................... ................... iv Chapter 1. A GOOD BEGINNING......................................... 1 2. PERSEVERANCE AND PROSPERITY............................16 3. SURVIVING SECESSION AND SCHISM...........................42 4. REUNION AND RECOVERY...................................54 5. TIMBER PROFITS TOWN AND TRINITY..........................79 BIBLIOGRAPHY... .......................................92 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ..................................100 ABSTRACT A study of Trinity Episcopal Church from 1835-1915 reveals the ways in which the civic, business, social and cultural leadership of one of Florida's oldest communities is reflected in the history of its first religious institution. The fluctuations in economic prosperity, patterns of immigration, as well as the climatic conditions of Apalachicola are closely tied to the well being of this congregation. While some local denominations were able to develop during the various depressions of the eighty year period, Trinity was only able to grow in the midst of stability. In addition, the theological issues confronting the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States as well as the Diocese of Florida will be examined for the impact they had on this parish. CHAPTER ONE A GOOD BEGINNING Trinity Episcopal Church of Apalachicola during the period 1835-1915 reveals the ways in which the civic, business, social and cultural leadership of one of Florida's earliest communities is reflected in the history of its oldest religious institution. The fluctuations in economic prosperity, patterns of immigration, as well as the climatic conditions of Apalachicola have been closely tied to the well being of this congregation. While some local denominations were able to develop during the various economic depressions of the eighty year period, Trinity was only able to grow amidst stability. Trinity Church was founded during a period of fiscal growth for the young port of Apalachicola. The men who incorporated the church as well as help fund the construction of an edifice, were enjoying the fruits of a developing cotton market. Many of these individuals were commission merchants and the owners of large warehouses along the Apalachicola River. These coastal merchants sold Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819. Shortly thereafter, new settlements began to arise, particularly in the northern portions of the cession. Enticing to settlers was the fertile soil of the middle panhandle which would be suitable for growing cotton. The settlement that would become the town of Apalachicola was born out of the need to transport cotton and other goods out of the developing hinterland of Georgia and Alabama. The first bales of cotton were shipped out in 1822 and a port collector was established for the Apalachicola region a year later. The town was officially incorporated in 1829 under the name, "Cottonton". "Apalachicola" replaced the original title in 1831.3 Prior to the Adams-Onis Treaty, a British trading firm known as John Forbes and Company claimed 1.2 million acres of land in the panhandle of Florida. The firm had obtained the tract from Native Americans who traded land to pay off debts to the trading company. Spain, which governed Florida from 1783-1819, honored the transaction. Part of the vast tract included the land that would become Apalachicola. Colin Mitchel of Savannah, representing the Georgia firm of Carnochan and Mitchel, bought the land from the 3 William Warren Rogers, Outposts On The Gulf: Saint George Island and Apalachicola from Early Exploration To World War II. (Pensacola: University of West Florida Press) 1986, 3-5. port of St. Joseph. St. Joseph was just outside the Forbes Purchase and quickly became a rival community. The year 1835 also proved to be significant in the spiritual life of Apalachicola. The Reverend Fitch W. Taylor, an Episcopal minister from the Diocese of Maryland, held several Episcopal services in both St. Joseph and Apalachicola in the fall and winter of that year. Prior to Reverend Taylor's visit, there was no evidence of organized religious activity in either community. Services were well attended and congregations were established in both towns. After Reverend Taylor returned to Maryland, however, there was no one to lead the newly formed missions.5 The territory of Florida in 1835 had seven Episcopal churches. In addition, Anglican churches, the Christian family from which the Protestant Episcopal denomination emerged, were well established in Florida during the British occupation from 1763-1783. Nine Anglican clergymen served in Florida during the twenty year span.6 After the territory was ceded to Spain following the Revolutionary War, however, all of the Anglican clergy departed. Soon 5 Diocese of Florida, Journal of the Proceedings of the Annual Convention, 1838, 21-23. (Cited hereafter as Diocesan Journal, with date. 6 Joseph Cushman, A Goodly Heritage. (Gainesville: University of Florida Press) 1965, 1-3. 5 Apalachicola's residents left town in the off-season. Absence, rather than irreverence explained the cessation of regular worship during the summer months. As the population began to swell in the winter of 1836, Episcopal services were once again held in Apalachicola. In the absence of clergy, bank cashier George Field organized services held at the Mansion House hotel.8 The banker's leadership would prove to be instrumental in the development of the church. Field had come to Apalachicola to work in the newly opened branch of the Southern Life Insurance and Trust Company in December of 1836. Anticipating a lack of church life, Field brought a supply of The Book of Common Prayer with him to Apalachicola and offered to lead Episcopal services. According to Field, the services were "favorably received."9 In light of the interest in organized religious activity, Field along with eight other individuals petitioned the territorial legislature to incorporate the church. Given the name "Trinity Church", the organization was officially incorporated on February 11, 1837.10 8 Diocesan Journal. 1838. 21-23. 9 Ibid., 1838. 21-23. 10 Acts of The Florida Territorial Legislature. 1837. 58- 59. recognition came posthumously." By the Spring of 1837, Field believed the congregation needed the regular administration of a full-time clergyman. This sentiment was shared by others as Field recalled: "a unanimous request on the part of the whole congregation convened on notice, that the vestry, which had been duly re- elected, proceed to obtain a Clergyman of the Episcopal Church."12 Within months, the Reverend Charles Jones of the Diocese of New York was invited by Field to serve as missionary. With a full time rector, the church continued to expand. Reverend Jones was well regarded in the community and his presence fulfilled the vestry's desire that Trinity would grow rapidly. Field's optimism was evident in his report the following year at the inaugural diocesan convention: "the valuable exertions of the resident missionary seems to animate the citizens...and justifies the belief...that the cause of true religion be substantially advanced. "13 11 Vivian Sherlock, The Fever Man: A Biography of Dr. John Gorrie. (Tallahassee: Medallion Press) 1982. 20-27; 127-128. 12 Diocesan Journal. 1838. 21-23. 13 Ibid., 1838. 21-23. else to do..." Chrystie's animosity toward Field was most likely the result of a sour business relationship. Amidst a depression caused by the Panic of 1837, banks and cotton warehouses on the Gulf coast maintained strained relations. Cotton prices were low and local bank notes were devalued. On many occasions, both banks and merchants blamed one another for the economic mire.16 Clerking in a cotton warehouse, Chrystie's ire toward Field, a banker, was not unexpected. The Panic of 1837 and the ensuing depression that lasted until 1842 did not leave Apalachicola unscathed. Such economic instability during Trinity's early years negatively affected the congregation. The depression hurt everyone involved in cotton from the planters to factors. Falling crop prices and devalued currency crippled the businesses of nearly all of Trinity's founding vestry. Fortunately for the church, the process of obtaining a lot and raising subscriptions for constructing an edifice was complete before the depression hit. The monetary 15 Niles Schuh, ed., "Apalachicola In 1838-1840: Letters From A Young Cotton Warehouse Clerk," Florida Historical Quarterly (January, 1990), 318. 16 Lynn Willoughby, Fair To Middlin': The Antebellum Cotton Trade of the Apalachicola/Chattahoochee River Valley. (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press) 1993. 69-75. 11 corrupt and inevitably elitist method of raising money, was not uncommon in the early nineteenth century. Even though several pews remained unrented and thus left for general use, such an arrangement in the only church of a small frontier town could understandably lead to friction. The floor plan of the interior church, however, did not match the somewhat aristocratic pew sales. It was patterned after a Baptist Meeting house with two side aisles rather than one central processional aisle. While the floor plan suggested a Protestant and egalitarian minded congregation, doors attached to the pews conversely hinted toward aristocratic sympathies. While pew doors were later removed, their legacy, joked one life-long communicant, served as reminder of Trinity's early efforts to "keep the Methodists out."18 The edifice itself was built of white pine in New York state, carefully packed, and shipped to Apalachicola in 1839 by schooner. Using wooden pegs, the building was assembled on the lot given to the vestry by the Apalachicola Land Company. The Greek Revival structure featured large ionic columns and a square, flat-roofed belfry."1 The 18 Reverend Tom Weller, Funeral Oration of Alice Hodges, September 22, 1987. 19 George L. Chapel, "From Generation To Generation In The Church", unpublished monograph, 1995. 13 Following the rite of consecration, Trinity Church was an established parish, albeit a small one. The financial backing of the cotton port's elite and the diligence of George Field had enabled the church to become self- sufficient six years after the Reverend Fitch Taylor first held services in the bustling frontier town. With an impressive edifice of its own, Trinity Church was ready to proceed at a time when Apalachicola celebrated its status as one of the South's busiest port cities. the church on only three occasions. Besides confirming new communicants, the presence of a bishop helped break the monotony of the frontier parish. One Trinity rector recalled the effects of such a visit: "Our beloved chief pastor arrived in the spring...inspiring us with more animation and reviving our zeal in every good work."2 The Rt. Rev. Stephen Elliott from the Diocese of Georgia served Florida in the years 1844-1847 and 1849-1850. The Rt. Rev. Christopher Gadsden of South Carolina officiated at the 1848 Convention, but did not visit individual parishes.3 Bishop Elliott reported to the Ninth Diocesan Convention that his visit to Trinity in March 1846, was a great success. In addition to administering to "a large body of communicants" Elliott believed "the promise is fair for a rapid and permanent increase in the communion of this church."4 Though Elliott's efforts were great on behalf of the Diocese of Florida, his multiple responsibilities in his home state as well as the difficulties associated with 2 The Reverend William Treble Saunders, The Pastor's Wife; or Memoirs of E.M.S. (New York: Little, Rennie, and Co.) 1867, 76. 3 Cushman, A Goodly Heritage. 26. 4 Diocesan Journal. 1846, 12. 17 Hailing from a prosperous family in Charleston, Rutledge had a heritage that was rooted in Low Country aristocracy. His father, Hugh, served as chancellor in the state of South Carolina for twenty years. John Rutledge, the bishop's uncle, was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Another uncle, Edward Rutledge, signed the Declaration of Independence. Francis Rutledge graduated from Yale in 1821 and the General Theological Seminary in 1823 before returning to his home state to begin his ministry.7 He moved to St. Augustine in 1839 to serve as rector for Trinity Church before accepting the rectorship at St. John's, Tallahassee. Bishop Rutledge would be able td,provide the diocese with attentive leadership for the first time since its formation. One of the toughest obstacles blocking the diocese's progress, poor travel conditions, would continue to plague the new episcopate. From his office in Tallahassee, Bishop Rutledge had a radius of travel from Pensacola in the west to Jacksonville in the east. Southward, the bishop's service was requested at St. Paul's Church in Key West. Poorly maintained roads made over-land travel a major challenge in the young state. Fortunately 7 George Chapel, "Bishop, Diocese, and the Parish in the 1850s", unpublished monograph. 1986. 19 census, only ninety-nine children under the age of 10 lived in Apalachicola. By 1860, that number had nearly quadrupled to 390. Another illuminating statistic regarding the fertility of church life was the ratio of males to females in Apalachicola. In 1840, 408 men between twenty and forty lived in the town compared to 105 women in the same bracket. By 1860, the numbers of the same category had nearly evened to 252 males and 209 females. The New Year celebration of 1839 revealed the nature of Apalachicola society prior to these demographic shifts: New Years Eve in Apalachicola there was a ball given by a woman of particularly easy virtue in the lowest class of life a washerwoman and formerly a chambermaid on one of the steamboats. She managed to muster about 15 or 20 of the same kind of women as herself- everybody was there- all the young cocks...The principle [sic] merchants here danced with their draymen's wives, and the Mayor of the City played the fiddle for them. Hurrah for Apalach!"1 While the environment for a growing church improved throughout the antebellum period, there were still problems that directly affected the congregation. A particular 10 Niles Schuh, ed. "Apalachicola in 1838-1840: Letters From A Young Cotton Warehouse Clerk," Florida Historical Quarterly (January 1990) 320. christened child as the lone survivor.12 Graphic details describing the aftermath of the tragedy would likely have returned to Apalachicola with lay delegates George Field and Hiram Manly. While no attacks occurred in or close to Apalachicola, it would not have required an active imagination by residents to envision Native Americans invading from the swampy northern border of the town. By 1843, most of the Indians in Florida had been removed to reservations in Oklahoma, although skirmishes continued elsewhere in the state. Though impossible to quantify, the effects that news of Indian fighting had on the settlement of families undoubtedly discouraged immigration to some extent. Though the threat of an attack on Apalachicola was practically nonexistent after the Second Seminole War ended in 1842, news of the Third Seminole War (1855-1858) likely stoked fears of possible raids in the panhandle. Despite the Native American question throughout the antebellum period, Apalachicola gradually became inhabited by more families and became a community wanting involvement in church life. As the records of baptisms and confirmations indicate, an increasing number of families became associated with Trinity throughout the 1840s and 12 Diocesan Journal. 1839. 14. 23 windows of our church have been shattered by gales, but so promptly repaired as to hardly interrupt religious service."1 The Rev. William T. Saunders, who was rector during the gales of 1852, 1853, and 1857 recalled the "confusion and consternation" that the hurricanes created.15 With respect to the powerful forces of the storms, Saunders was also impressed by his parish's ability to overcome the destruction. After one of the gales he wrote that the building: "...remained a little more than a wreck. The loss was heavy. It is my happiness, however, to report that it has been thoroughly repaired, and much improved in every respect."1 According to Reverend Saunders, the itinerant nature of Apalachicola's population was the biggest obstacle for Trinity's growth. While hurricanes damaged the edifice, one could argue in hindsight that such natural disasters unified the congregation amidst efforts to rebuild. Still, it was difficult for the church to accomplish anything, physically or spiritually, during the summer months. In his reports to 14 Diocesan Journal. 1844. 7-8. 15 Saunders, The Pastor's Wife. 1867. 52-53. 16 Diocesan Journal. 1852. 29-30. 25 St. Joseph was still struggling to recover from the depression following the Panic of 1837. St. Joseph's inability to divert river traffic away from Apalachicola, an October hurricane, and the pestilence left the town deserted the following season. Dr. John Gorrie, vestryman and one of Trinity's founders, was treating patients during the outbreak in Apalachicola. Another of the church's leaders, George Middlebrooks, died from the virus.1 Trinity's rector in 1841, A. Bloomer Hart, reported to the diocese that it was in his prayers that the survivors would: "prove indelible, and that the remembrance of mercy in the midst of judgement may lead alarm to piety, and reflection to devotion."2" Other epidemics occurred in the port during the 1850s, but Trinity's congregation for the most part escaped the disease.21 Reverend Saunders regretted that while Trinity was able to rebound from the adversity that yellow fever and hurricanes delivered, most of the church's efforts went into rebuilding rather than expansion. Organized in 1841 by Harriett Francis Raney, the wife of cotton merchant David G. 19 Sherlock, The Fever Man. 1982. 74-81. 20 Diocesan Journal. 1841. 9. 21 Ibid., 1853. 29. was integral to the temperance movement as Trinity remained uninvolved.25 Methodist services began in Apalachicola as early as 1839 with meetings held in the Mansion House hotel. After Trinity's edifice was completed, Methodists were allowed use of the Episcopal facility until a disagreement emerged in 1841. Following the building's consecration by Bishop Otey in that year, the Rev. A. Bloomer Hart would not allow any denomination other than his own to worship there. According to Reverend Hart, the church's original article of subscription filed with the territorial legislature in 1837 required that the church be used for worship "according to the rites and usages of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States...."26 The controversy came because a number of individuals belonging to other denominations had purchased pews to help fund the construction of Trinity church. Even so, these benefactors in Reverend Hart's words, "...indulged the erroneous supposition that the church might be used for celebrating secular solemnities and for the ministration of 25 George Chapel, "Founding of Trinity Church", unpublished monograph, 1986. 26 Diocesan Journal. 1845. 8-9. 29 for confirmation, withdrew from Trinity, according to Zimmer.29 Following Zimmer's departure, Trinity was without resident clergy until William T. Saunders arrived in 1851. In his first parochial report, Saunders mentioned the schism, but did not elaborate on why it occurred: "the attendance, although reduced by the secession of the Congregationalists, who have built a church of their own, is still considerable....""3 A Baptist church was founded in Apalachicola in 1848 and likely the congregation Saunders was describing in this report. In terms of seating capacity, Baptists and Methodists were far and away the largest denominations in Florida by mid-century. Catholics and Episcopalians represented the smallest religious organizations. In terms of property value, however, the Episcopalians were well endowed. Outnumbered by Methodists eighty-seven churches to ten, Episcopal property was worth $37,800 while Methodists had only slightly more: $55,260.31 Next to St. John's, Tallahassee, Trinity Church was the second most valuable 29 Diocesan Journal. 1849. 17. 30 Ibid., 1850. 24-25. 31 U.S. Congress, Seventh Census, 1850. (Washington, D. C.: Robert Armstrong), 410-411. 31 targets of the anti-immigrant sentiment. By association, the most visible institution of the Irish, the Catholic church, was also distrusted. By 1856, the American Party had a candidate for president, Millard Fillmore, as well as gubernatorial and congressional hopefuls in many states. The Nativists were most prominent in the Northeast.34 Despite Apalachicola's growing population of Irish settlers, Nativist sentiments were not popular. In Florida, the American Party had a candidate for governor and Congress on the ticket for 1856, but both were soundly defeated statewide and in Franklin county. In reality, the American Party in Florida was known not for its stance on naturalization but rather as an affiliation for the recently dissolved Whig Party.35 In fact, the Florida branch of the party adopted a modified version of the national platform in order to take a strong stance against anti-Catholicism and religious discrimination.36 Judge George W. Hawkins, a Trinity 34 Robert A. Divine, et.al. America: Past and Present. (New York: Harper Collins Publishers) 1991. Third edition. 405-407. 35 Herbert J. Doherty, "Florida In 1856," Florida Historical Quarterly. (July 1956) 66-68. 36 Arthur W. Thompson, "Political Nativism in Florida, 1848-1860: A Phase of Anti-Secessionism," Journal of 33 time, the balcony also served as a symbol of deep-rooted segregation and paternalism. Several of Trinity's rectors indicated that they ministered separate services for slaves and free blacks.39 At the eve of the Civil War, Eliza Morton Saunders, wife of the rector, taught weekly lessons to twenty-five slaves. Her lessons consisted of rote memorization of scripture and hymns. The students learned from oral instruction, and according to Reverend Saunders, they were not greatly responsive to their lessons. Evangelical gospel, which was also preferred by most whites in Florida, was popular in the slave community of Apalachicola. While most of her students were illiterate, Eliza Saunders taught her own servants who worked in the parsonage how to read and study the Bible.40 According to tax rolls from 1860, the Reverend William T. Saunders owned five slaves.41 In comparison to the fertile plantation region of 39 Diocesan Journal. 1849. 23; Ibid., 1846. 15. 40 Saunders, The Pastor's Wife. 1867. 48-49. 41 U.S. Congress, Eighth Census, 1860. Slave Schedules, Franklin County, Florida. (Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office), 126. entered as one of the sponsors. Nourse was Cook's surname before he had it legally changed. Three years later, "parents Frank and Charlotte Cook" were listed as sponsors when their eighth child was baptized by Reverend Saunders.43 The burning issue in the Episcopal church throughout the United States from the antebellum period to 1900 was the Oxford Movement. Also known as the Anglo-Catholic revival, the movement began in the Anglican Church in the 1830s. In the form of essays or "tracts", a group of Anglican clergymen expressed their belief in the restoration of ideas that had been de-emphasized after the Reformation and the Wesleyan movement. In the coming decades, these English theologians would deliver a lasting effect on Anglican and Episcopal churches around the world. Three concepts set the Oxford reformers apart: first, the church was the Bride of Christ and a divine creation supernaturally determined by the Holy Spirit; second, the sacraments, namely the rite of Eucharist, were appointed by Christ; third, the sacraments were passed down by an apostolic ministry. By the 1850s, the theology behind the Oxford Movement was expressed in Episcopal churches in New 43 Fred Sawyer, Sr. "Trinity Episcopal Church, Apalachicola, Florida," 1950.; Trinity Episcopal Church Records, Trinity Church, Apalachicola. 37 treatise on the rite of Eucharist. An individual opposing Pusey's ideas published letters under the name, "Sinner." Vesper also supported a local application of tractarian thought: Trinity's strict adherence to the canons of the Episcopal church and the Book of Common Prayer regarding the disagreement with the Methodists.45 Several weeks after it began, correspondence between Sinner and Vesper ended cordially. In 1858, an editorial appeared in the Commercial Advertizer criticizing the Oxford reformers, particularly the writing of Dr. Pusey. Referring to Anglo-Catholicism taking root in the Episcopal church in America, editor J. E. Wyman wrote: "So well guilded is the pill and sign, that we breathe the atmosphere, and even taste the noxious morsel without ourselves being aware that we are thus unconsciously subscribing and giving countenance to a doctrine that we have from our earliest recollection been taught to view with distrust and suspicion." Wyman did not, however, specifically indict Trinity or its rector at the time, Reverend William T. Saunders, as part of the growing movement.4 Apalachicola Commercial Advertiser, January 1, 1844. Ibid., March 10, 1858. however its share of the cotton market was shrinking.50 The pews were subdivided in 1858 to create more seating and plans for building side aisles were discussed. The expansion project did not come to fruition, however, as the economic and spiritual affluence of Apalachicola would prove to be short lived. The Civil War and a growing network of railroads in the hinterland would soon choke the town's livelihood.51 Willoughby, Fair To Middlin'. 1993. 130. Saunders, The Pastor's Wife. 1867. 59; 65. 41 Madilson strkie Perry govermor of viorida In 1960, led oh t~~rrcilnrst movement. A natze iot carl hin -b- Perry shared -he .ews on staunchly PoPular 20 the "Painetto state.- iva resit Lc~l*rcloe behard south Cnarllne nreruh i p"en ot of the union. on january n 1. ard toerd f :ies to the Unzted states and ]olned the rebll movement. several monthr later, exqungln began In ?enr~l as confederate forces under Oeneral Braxton Brage fired on Uno aval vessels that arrived to reinforce Fore Plcer afederlral isallation Next to the slege on fort santer Ir estl~ron harbor, the assault on rart slckens was h I. 'ktemish In the deadly war. The EpIscopal churcI Io Floria took; a stro stnd .n (avor of secession die to alshoP Rutledgels gestures b ,f he confederate ca23 e. 3ut21dge himsel3 was a Ibld. 233-234 lpl-P.1 huchI thb -oth -1- -1drui. li-p.p dl--rr fc-ld P-srar-t-i Ell--OP. Cb-hhinth --gYngt th. bl-gy, .., P-1 ... t fig- b o ... d th. --blnT Ihb di-hp b.-I.- T-ItI y --hhrch th RI. 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Civilian r~n~lnrl lenmeb to irrrire an The ~e. loads that oane fran upriuer at u~ll nr olrrerl Ird flin iron mt try " iplri~i'l r~ru~srl st I;lnlty ihu;ch nearly reared bern~n 1862-1861 r~llaum~ tnr pxobul af Canfedei~Ti forsel in narcn 1862. ieueiind ullllan T inubpil Lrnueled *101 nlr -nnlli .nd .any of Ilmlf y I psrilhlaii;i ta desnnn~lonlu~rluoi ;U~alrd rna IfP~n~Pr i~C*ilni the reCTOr 1~.531?06 that nnny of tnp fleoing rplsc~~allanr. ip.rlng dertrustlan at their nones ~I Rll~ubln~ redei~LI. f~lled tne inria naids rim their furnlrure Thp ilundpn i.~lly r~~nf noit al the unr yrlrl Lerieon anrlerra and Calun~ul. re~rgln- ifrr; ~lnbln~.rafi rrfu~r for nlr ir~lly. a~u~nnd rbld 7171. 19-80 Tlnl~y CnjICh rPMin~d Lnn;(iri Illao;lirYL rhl 11I I.Th -I. ei(ii.(iDn if 1T1 YIO ~I ~ IliYEL f~T Di iiYnn Ch...nn Ch.pnn. r nlliur ol I~ii~shuretrr. xl~ldrranlrt nnd ihylLil.n **~ MYII fO ipnln;;lcal~ In 11(7. Lff~Lla(id *irh T;in;L~. th~ dcctor xrr oar ~;~nrl~ Inr;lrrd rm th~ ;-ulm o(npi rh~r fr a LLU YCIII Unln he i~ni In Ihe shair. Cutrpo*Pn In Tir rulpar( ~L 'ne Unlan. Ch~p~m irnrl-ed in o(tlc~ll irmmr of ~nr:IFlnn Inn mnrmrrfs irnlrr i; m- Wlr or Th- Imslllnn. irr I ii (l"(li iuidir ~ar;o~~rcr;;nlati i;la~~.~L~nLe~i~i n9rll; L~~lr r iirr~r. the clr.l rrr rr iln;ior, i m-lrriu nlrroiu, la~;pn~axn Lenr r 11~1611 lil2ollinl Jriiellih.lnrl. Ir;*nn mlnru nonOi' nlrraru ITi..nlrab; ~~nirullie PYlll~lln~ C~IIPIOYI L981 2tllii. Yln~ml n CnndlY nlili~OL i(II irlrh r~r tie Lali of nearly hnlf of I ,rmuricllrr atler rrlacrr-a; durir~ ,Inrunl jiauth i~ the decades lollax. Illr~ on apal~sh;i~lnr n~lil(;- La rrI Ill:l(y Thelci Ifl-liclnl Inlir~ ~ *~) to oni~ ia~i biiil trrf( In~C inmnnnn xnr rluri ~a rnp rexrl I~nd nnb rrerf Bri~nln Ili~ LPI~IYP.I Ll~urlih until aprllicmral Ir~nlned a maid a~pa~rr an rrlrlrylr rdillsr Xpyp CORI el ih~ *di dY ~O Th~ dannrloni ot ipup ChYli LII1 Xhiil lnd Ol~i dannroi (a r;ru~an, in ir~l~;rb ~r 16(. ~~rter n~lr rr~u;n ~o ralirir. -~r thr abll.( ore~n~lon fo nnul -n~ r-uiih iPpnlied - af 1867 m~ cnmcel xl Ilio re~ooe monetary danarlan fio~ onr so~un;i~nf rhs ~l~c~s~ In Is(i and ~868. Lnr Ipypl (1111. fiY 9eneiaui Indluldulll Xplp rlni inpiarioenli IhYI rhr fnrr-lllf le;(ion ot aucinll PT~~/ICli(Y II m~ Tir fns :i(Yii If th~ ChYTin Yn~ no~ irpo~:lan ot oaoo~l rilr and clnnd~iab amro r~~lbiy r~~ir~ ~ne ioai -i Inn.'/ Dr;nuli nnni f;rilrei rir:~rrra iilr; dcioni-nririr Tnp i.r.rmd 5lurdeir nr~id In hll nma~rr ~n~; illi(oi~si~ *.i .dllf~sul~ ~niil~r In the Lnllruc(lon af blac*r hecnu~p I.licojnl I~r~arr ir;uli~d irudinlr ra rend l~r iar* or jaMn;n r;ricr ni olo rrs'e~rrd "r'lplr PFIYIIII Cnllnl-i .nl loi-. Df exs~tminr hrul Inclinrd the~i (a Irrfer afnel I-ifrui(;ani mni fh~r~ af fnr P~iiiopnl ihrrch ir.;* Crs*. I:rr~U1- -I; *~i bn?:.iel r- Tnar) .i 8(1. bc~mP.lpnbir In;n~ ijilrapll iswounl[y af ~nlnihirol~ In Lhr dcmdrr falloxinl E~anilpllon Coa* mb Ti. rift. Cn~ilar~. ui;e cri~lmod by BLlh~~ Pi~:ds~ m l.i lli( ilonT DL r~~lT Childili XP.P *.prl~d 1( IllilTYI dnd me ruo oldeif. i~r~n nnb nrry, xpr~ alra cinfl;rrl Lpll;apdl'"i Ln 1~18 irm* Coo* i~ru~d ~o tit u.ri;y 131 Ill*e yer~r brrroel lij2-:BLii. I-iri C~i*l di~ll In 1IBP hii lun.nl x.i irlo in ILln~Y md nlr bady *~~ Laid ~a rrir in rhr Cnsifnuf Sfr~~r Cenerery nrxl ~a n~ny :ellar rplirrjnll~i~ ~ XII.. yr.ir o~ brrrrlarl~i-~ h~rlrh. Bimop su~.~d~i blPd in LBOi nlr rucrrrrar, lonn irrenan loun~. r.ll... I i.und.... r;s PIIIUI.*-lf. IN1. laT* L1(L:r, ilennlr .n~ C~n~pn"i~ 1816, tBII inry.rl ~Irini(y iplr;a~nl Chuleh. aprlrchisoln. iYI~IY~(~d i(i re~rrlonm;~ xlt rirr oi, rr a~r-;ani o( -n rlr rli;srl *rd nar h~ur ionr, cl~~rl~n. mns*~r~ iu~~~iird fls~ 1J In PDI( Yll~i I Tn~C*~ni Idpl YII~ 6~I10XL~ Clit LI~~ Blihop 1DYnl *hF n~d Yn~lii~ll~illy IYIheb fOr IYPPOI- it ~i. IP.LLII ln.l Clll~le-C~ if r~e YLi-?diif illirnn~~rl;m ro~eri .r rrrarl In-~rrr bmoninn(ian I nulrr;ul Lal.;nig iI rr~-e urrr narr *I~;L *irhoLlrrr thm Llrri reie ieatr m nl r~ursnil I In ~ho d~c~de r~ nen~rri In mo rlsiida C~nlel ill ra mt lerhidlrrr. *ira l~d ilarl;r Le:aic mt Ci-i. u~i CPn~Yry Ln~ b~MIII~II1FI OT IPltlltSnlC~L1 BlfX.en 181o ilnd LB~O LLrlS~n~UlsllS~n~ Ln the ccunry ial (ran iB to II p~rcpnr a~ fnr nojie~~~e papularlan. Ih ~~...,,...,.. Inprelrlue cannldPnnl ~he iaunry na;~ Ln ~,lu~li UI11. r*. Irllnlm ii The iallmsin irrrrr Il(~san ~~rcrr UmuPiii-i irerrl 19sl ai-ai C;nllII Ze~ien~bira~ li:r mrlin~ran. sc~rir iinrrranll. "L1 (1. I-LIrbUi)L~I ~f 113119311 -O IIPILICIIICOII in fhe rUn~ls ienrYli- UCYlb n.*e fi~rl rhi Llii *laad al the foun Ine nlld nnd nanlrnul~yio~ naney ~ioduceb by bei; fran Lne nesrar af Lnr (uprlo ouo nI Inu~L1-~ to oplan Ine npge.linl P.OI.;LIP. 01 (Y*ilr -oniy n~~de it Ln;auihaul iula~r ~ib pum airr;~.i~. ~larlei a~ra .;llrsrei ma rala ~rrrnr -nl;l lor ii d~nan* f;r r;iulriiiolmn ~ilil~r~ ulrr Br:rienlli~l~OD. ~raduc af nmei m srm*Lin iaunli- Iniirnir0 Lian 2(0 ;o i2.P(O ~ounoi mi maun' at br~rmx irpor:ei I--~--~e* frm I:U .oundi in LB10 Lo 210 lou~.dr Ir le~o.( maum nilt elOlo-ent rl~h npllrlrl *I rrllonnl, the Inl;rrry ilfl ru~~le~en(nl Incanr to I~ho~il mF Iduen~ or cmnlng 1~1 (a ~rar(n ii The ieafaa0 Indurfry Whll~ ayr~rr nld ~r~n miWPd up iiuir ta iea;gll md ii~birr ~r~~ir thr Civil Ilr, fho iiou rltr i;P,(.r i--dr ihp canmn~ ~ir;iri. ihlcn ri~en~ed r*p. :ili. c;errrd nui* nr~d~d ~r~n~nii ~pprl;ul-rer f;i ~Lch;canni. 81Ihr rum ~I (ii c~n:u~i, rxo yl;*ini SOIMYn1LY II ~nny Of Lne n~rupn~err xele Im~linrr tron~ rreese up until Lhe Iltai. ~II or mp xond~i rpai~el Irre (n*ir Lra~ the eni(ern n~dl~er;an~nn 5on when ipanjei diicauered in the Carln~pan md Tulf of Xexisa, n~ny ~r(~r~rlrlnq rrpe*r mmlilnfed La file ndumtal~ or th~ ~conamlc olPo'fYolfy 1 II Lne ~YllieBI X1I rlreTlnil md narr rpano~n~ anpOrLuniLlel IFrP la;nLed elrernerp In mm stare. Rnnv "lee*I brb noL Irly In ~~l~shlsal~. Itnou~n reuelrl fnrller d~d L1*e raOL Tnp iree* fm~lllP, uha Laired;leir cmld;pn II ~nlsnlcalnnl founb I IllnLull hone In Tnmfy cnurcn TreO* lum-nP, 1IFelrpd In Irlnlrylr reilrrrer rr e.rlj nn 1)0" In Lnr fxm~lrfn Sen(uil the d~rc~ndmfr Of fnlrl muhornnfr raulb *era~e rlrm~ils~nt p~rr of the Eplscopa~ camnunl~y of ~alachl;~ln ii Lhe iarLune of The r~un beinn to reverie In the I~r~ ihmrrer or Lne senLury. Irinlty shuiih be~~n to iniienio In I~nln Ihe irnbili(y Of e~iiih life irienglhonrd nr induiLry I~lned n bertei foothold In rr~n*ho sounty Wnlh IF~L006 end Li~er besn~e Lhe rsinon~li fainl pa~ni. I~;canrlli Lrlbr bpuplOyeb to nsconnod~fe Lhe ieedl of Paosm. nli(nnrrr On (n- 5111~ Isst 121121. Clrollna iomian Coinena~. -n~rldair iP""I'"~ mduriry L Culturll nnb Esononl; ii~ilary I IrlniLy Epiisaprl Churcn s~c~rdr, rlmmfy IPIIFOTII churcn. apmnmlca~n ar mY*ii liOT..fT.I II. dPP.li*I. -thDi i-i -lii( hll Le~r IliliYr ~enef.r ra rha~ *;rrhi p~a~.~ Irlrlrj iniir~ied In nuwerr ~u;lno ~nr .*1Cr ~in into mt lisor. ~u( rh~ P""n xll P1.~Pd *ith _nsmii.(mi le~arrm;~ alrh~;L In-erru~lr~ ~i Lhi Cirii u~i, uilli~n irunlrrl.l-ii(~r~d me;anorr~r~lan fai txen(i~ lirii Lrr*ern Isi.lsio. Dunno fnr rxo deirdei ~(Lir hlr nlnli;ry. ~ni ihulcn rd~urred fo i.- dlllerenl clrrlir only rhr ap, c a appl~, mo IrPnlbeb ~ran 188L :a Llii7. ron~lned rim (ne shursh L~nli' fnnn Lnrre ymri Unlar~unnfrly far snursh san(lnul(i. Plulrpnd ~plp diuidrd nii ~ln~ aprnen ir~l~chlsala and *arlnnnl lorf of (ni ...rori niid u~clrl mo Iprued Irlni(y at tne md al int nlnp(pmrh senrury xrrp ~lia In shniqe rlrr Lu*rlr Cnuic~ ~, nlrl.nn. ~ uny Inmfy nrd dli~isul(i malnralnins Lh~ mt rrrror or nlrrlanrry dunno Lnli Lint Lr~~i La Ilal Lna*r Pempi ijrlaihlcrlnlr IlOl~fPd _~i(iiiOn Uli d.rrlrm~ ta n~air;l~rgim~"- Bo-n ~plo nnd iaundr;r nne L..lll~r In a~~l~shl;~la rha noi li*Pli hrlp~d :nm ~djurt llYll.:871. Bl~'aF1' U~rrir. (i Thr roi ~'uicrr' mr ofrri ned bil :h' *10Cnr ii ~lnr 61 ~pirClp~rr. TX.1V~ Ycdl~ -n:Er fhF ~Y o( ChYich~ dr* tn~ -uVcr -f ii~r;o;n?-~rr -- :- rrr~~. Lrl in.ri -~ pp~,..tmr .I;~muili~nr~ ~a r;~ rurr~l: pipulnrlon. Tn~ i'oum al mp dio;Fre ua~ mi~ula~ln~ rl Thr ailno~ Irr tLe !Inc* o;r*. the ep~~;~ya~o Co;ne ii;;rarin~.i dll!;rrlt to i~nlle :n;ne liaor. dcl~s'r~r ri ~n~ i;rc~rar civ~n:-onr 1PSan ~o dlrcirl xrsr ra rr;l~al.l;r mt EBL.CDY~I diY.che~ af ilrrda While The ~ncoulalilnl ~rourh of i~lnsapol iiluicher xnl In larSr p~rl dup Lo Birhap larnol~ lead~rrlily, hr u~uld n~( br tL~ dloc~ran Ta counlrl Ih~ Churcn (*louyn ~arrl(lon i~~:~r a ~orr *i~i paun~,ia. Blrlio~ roolg bird ;n I;ouri~ol It _lsi. Ilr i~u. Idrln Caidnpi Ye~d. ~ ii~Llur o? S~irinn~. ~~r un~nincuill nonlnrr~d Cy a Sprcrll Coiiicll ~~ rl~ sl~c~lr lli ~OIli. 1886 r~ b~cine th~ rh-rd ~lr!.lS oL iY~lr 18-~. :; Itii-, LB~P. sar;;lla! s~po;~l I;Yu~l last. it. culmi. i r~*nlv xpr;;~~r. I:2-l:li I)IIPP f Inmry nnb Lnrou~hou;;h~ Ylacrr~ of naii* ROYPIIPO I-:nlrinlli bir-c~ I-rcrlurl Ir iri ~ ~n* Irtei rr rhi ir;ond ill~h~l at slor.lr. Jar rarwle litiijiirl cn~lllr Irruorau- iunr~ ioul~~i ejl~iajp(i ~'iilohcnu-r-~ rlcra mllib Ir~s'~r;~ni, iel(~l~d mrr~nen~l elmm iniiihei ~hrugh a s~lirr Idn~rmie ra the Baa* Pr~yer ~n Incipni~n~ mlhlrlr ~n rhr -I~nrI nW1 Ind;snf~on fnn~ ~ p~iilh I~r;ar xnr clarrly Lal Ilr;rol of fnr TILLr autil`ld ii rhr prlyrr raa ;anlrnc-lar. (Tr ~rri~n ~: rrr Inr~rlol;f ~b;Llcr or rliiii~i (a ~ Bl~rl~r Ir~rlng niure rrrler nu~beb m~ Irrr rlll~r rraa ~1~ central pi;reislara Ihlr Lind of riiph~iii r~r Il-srd jilai tr the Clu.l or *rr nor *noxn, au' fne p i(erlini sllu~r Corn~ynlm ~r( mi 1 n~r~le L~L :Be altar *ere CiLdbaurst outlntd in gold-lear Paint. complete rr fIfr con. r;aaruii n x decoiraroir spholme of Pnslo-cathor m r a Eia;r cniecl s and altar; hungi s Icen added to L c* el~ when -he attar as replaced .n Ila the Fptscopal church on both the nation ad taeI~e was divided over Issuer developed b) the oxford novement Extreme nigh chu-rch supporters of iaglo-cathollclsm angered their evangellcal Low Church bret~rrn wasn the cellebratio ca lsul that went beyone the IlfitrY of th ia o omoan Prayer. conversely, Low church clergy drew nigh tirh rf cism for their Improvised prayers not outlined :n the prayer book and therr Intercomnunlon *r lir l ordamned ly other denominatzonr le n tin cul ras swpatrhetil to the c~ompilaants ouC~rM~, Lplscopal co~mmaxt as a whole e~barnd the treesl preclpxcared by the Oxford TracTs M a lreul rhn Iti Arll 27, lee?, 6i5- sevyer. -Trnnity Eplscopn l ciurcl Xalnriils (~lllje inj~ IPLllOld iF.li~~.l CTYICII n I;llnh;rrrr IB1` nr nr can;~uerr) Ll~x~cn li.ni md Ynlrlron u.r ~ullblno. UlnrV i Errdy, uh~ uauld later Irlnllyli ~~nl~~ xnrdon fiso LBBY un~ll hl~ d~~Lii In 1111. Ipalachiral~ hlr ~orlrl md Chy;yh 11II In rhP 511~11 Tildy XrOfr OL hl~ Inrenlon~ r~ visit BL~nop launi I~ urll ~r n~u ~ffLn h~ ~trmdrd it iohnlr ipirFaml ChYrFh r:lmd ' Irrrr ~ncr ~n iund~yr.l rio~~ ir~dy. ~~ur nrir-it rl~l. ri~dr d:d not d~lrul~ ~h~ br~xln~ hlgn Cnol;n-Lax VLe ?EI-LOI Iljjjon Df fhs itlCln~l~- lr me In(r 1BBOr mp neu Rlrrs ~n;r* xrll i~ Clii~brle. xhlih h~b Lrrei than i~a clrlien laclud~d a Irrsr P"SI""IP Df thC ~OXnl~ 1Y~ir mrrreltl Ir ~he i..iliir o( Coanul rd ilrlln I~r can~regrnan .r Clrrlb~lle *II under mt leclarate of riinlly In ~pa~achlcola, rhr neu r B c Bpnubiin or the f~iif iron TrinlTI T~ lold Ilru~cer in Cnii~brllr II res~'eis~iar roi ri-nirv nn* ~~llrhlia? Th~ torn ~lb oldpr~ iili~i~YI la~rlrunoa rp~rinpd *ria~rrrir Lor a~n0rir uell *rln~ Ilrer ~he dluei~irn ~L the c~~(an rr~de, ieiauic~~ ~~ thr foun Imgulmeb. ~nd ~~ny of TllnlfVII pr~lrhlonrii uel Lhe finbii nnd ~~~raod nnciner ~ir ct r~:r~lup pt cerrriyl Trrilry rplrsall o~ mF In~cclllu~ r*e le~dei~ in (Ir~rr ~nb L~ISSd ~O ~~Y~ elrerher~ Whr lunfrrer ~rousnr rhp ~axn Lo :~rperlTI In The Ln;r mne;e~n~l cnurcn rlra rrb~undrd. ~ ~ns I~n ar;ihanir rLr~ p~rlmlaneri. Ir~foob xrir nll~ ~rlai~~LPd xll Ilc* af r ill~old m* n dlep Al191. 1... 9 f --Y, MIND jII 011 9901, rm 910pe9SnYY 99E~fl0~lE VII 01oF I I dololl 0001 p0.IpEE0I9E okod pa 19d IIr tooincd~nc an n th ya. I-. -oy .1-9 --enogh 1. ..d.- h-l-. fO1 .. 1, 25 1900. -.- bo -E .- h-d orn~ne ih n bl.. da rsl, ie y .... --ioud -nIsoym- pp-...rer mr .- lle x~ bl. 1u d... I-r 1 I.- -hityi ---h, -p-hoslrbl. 1. --h 1- --p-oped T- nty Epp-p.1a Ch-11h ---ec~d -h P-p-ty -i ly flly --~hd --crd high. By 1903,oe ory;e e f-111le Ap--.- J.- 5,jne auebe 24, 1900. 19 twentieth century. Apalachicola's transportation dilemma was finally improved in 1907 when the Apalachicola Northern Railroad, a separate venture from the 1880s project, was completed.4 The new century brought more members through Trinity's doors and the church edifice also received many improvements. Continuing with the parish's trend toward Anglo-Catholicism, the chancel was once again remodeled in 1902. The renovation indicated that the parish still emphasized an Anglo-Catholic interpretation of the celebration of the sacraments. A new altar, lectern, and prayer desk were given to the church. The original altar was given to the Church of the Ascension in Carrabelle.5 Perhaps most notable of all the improvements was the addition of electric lamps in 1903.6 The new altar was given to the church by Trinity's St. Agnes chapter of the Daughters of the King. Organized in 1900-1901, this women's group was dedicated: "to increase the love of the church among its members, and to bring those 4 Rogers, Outposts on the Gulf. 138. 5 Sawyer, "Trinity Episcopal Church, Apalachicola, Florida," 1950. 21. 6 Apalachicola Times, February 1, 1936. 81 developed social relationships and enhanced community life in the often harsh and lonely frontier town. Another church group, the Woman's Auxiliary was formed at Trinity in 1892. The Auxiliary's function was to raise money for missions in the diocese. Other chapters of the Woman's Auxiliary in Florida were formed as early as 1871. The dynamic growth of missions during the latter half of the nineteenth century was in large part due to money raised by Auxiliaries. According to a calculation by Bishop Weed, more than twenty percent of the annual diocesan mission fund consisted of money given by these organizations.10 Initially, the funds raised by Trinity's Auxiliary were modest, but in 1908, the group donated $126.80 to diocesan missionary coffers." A missionary's salary in that year was $1000.12 The Woman's Auxiliary at Trinity also fostered youth involvement in the church with the addition of a Junior Auxiliary in 1909.13 While women were responsible for the growth of the church in Florida on the parish and 10 Bentley, The Episcopal Diocese of Florida. 1989. 48. Diocesan Journal. "Report of the Treasurer of the Florida Branch of the Women's Auxiliary," 1908. 12 Bentley, The Episcopal Diocese of Florida. 1989. 79. 13 Apalachicola Times, February 1, 1936. 83 and development of the parish, there is little evidence of their involvement in larger community and social affairs. The temperance movement, which had waxed and waned since the 1840s in Apalachicola, was once again gaining momentum in the new century. By 1910, the local chapter of the Women's Christian Temperance Movement became increasingly vocal in favor of banning alcohol sales in Franklin county. Several parishioners were listed in the Apalachicola Times as having attended meetings of the W. C. T. U., but neither Trinity or any of its affiliated societies took a stand on the issue. In May, 1915, Franklin county voted in favor of going dry sixty-six to thirty-three percent." At the turn of the century, the Diocese of Florida was led by a popular bishop, the Rt. Rev. Edwin Gardner Weed. Bishop Weed, a native of Savannah, assumed the episcopate in 1886 and led the diocese during its period of greatest expansion.1 Weed was well received in Franklin county where he maintained several close friendships with parishioners of Trinity and the Church of the Ascension in Carrabelle. George H. and Elizabeth Ruge, communicants at Trinity, named their son after the popular bishop. Edwin 17 Ibid., February 6, 1915; Ibid., February 20, 1915; Ibid., May 15, 1915. 18 Cushman, A Goodly Heritage. 1965. 176-177. 85 seven candidates. St. George's Mission closed after Porter's death in 1913.20 In terms of attendance, Purdue's ministry at Trinity church was at its peak in 1907-1908 with 113 communicants. Financially, the church had security as Trinity's income from subscriptions and alms produced nearly a $300 surplus at the end of 1907. The value of Trinity's property, boosted from improvements and the addition of the rectory, was at its highest since the antebellum period.21 The timber and seafood industries, the two largest employers in Apalachicola and Franklin county, benefitted from the completion of the Apalachicola Northern railroad in 1907.22 Though attendance at Trinity remained promising after 1910, it was down from its peak in 1907-1908. In his letters to the diocesan publication, the Church Herald, Reverend Purdue noted that the business in town was dull. The war in Europe initially hurt the timber industry as 20 "News of the Diocese," Church Herald, November, 1911; Ibid, March, 1914. 21 Diocesan Journal. "Financial Exhibit," 1907; Ibid. "Parochial Reports," 1908. 22 Rogers, Outposts On The Gulf. 1986. 139. 87 was in the 1850s, but the livelihood of the town still revolved around one export. Just as antebellum businessmen in Apalachicola were greatly affected by swings of the cotton market, supply and demand for timber wielded similar power over local transactions in the early twentieth century. Trinity Episcopal Church, the spiritual home of the town's leaders in timber, reflected the struggles during the slow years of 1913-1915. Trinity's congregation, which had been able to raise money for numerous improvements on church property between 1900-1910, was no longer able to contribute money sufficient to pay the rector's salary. Throughout 1916, Trinity Episcopal Church did not have a spiritual leader.2 From 1900-1915, Apalachicola experienced a wave of prosperity due to the maturation of the timber industry and to a lesser extent, a burgeoning market for canned seafood. Tapping these natural resources, investors created employment and related economic opportunities in the town. During this financial upswing, Trinity church experienced record numbers of communicants and increased involvement in church affairs through new societies. Conversely, a recession caused by difficulties in trans-Atlantic shipping 27 Apalachicola Times, February 1, 1836. 89 fiscal troubles to recruit the Rev. George E. Benedict as rector. Reverend Benedict, a native of Georgia, immediately made his presence known as he arrived in Apalachicola with his wife and five children in an open Ford automobile on December 11, 1916. Under Benedict's leadership, Trinity became involved in community issues like no other time in its history as the rector never shied from controversy in town affairs. In addition, a revival of the timber industry, a boom in local real estate markets, and further development of seafood businesses led to a wealthier parish. Dramatic improvements to the edifice including a recessed chancel, three stained glass windows, and a new organ were added to the building in 1921.29 29 Ibid., 22; Trinity Episcopal Church Records, Trinity Church, Apalachicola. SYoung, John Freeman, Episcopal Address, 1868-1885, bound with The Journal of the Proceedings of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the State of Florida. 1868-1885. SChurch Herald, The. Jacksonville: Church Publishing Company, 1911-1914. SChurch and Home. Jacksonville: Church and Home Office, 1884-1887. SFlorida Churchman, The. Jacksonville: Ashmead Brothers Printers, 1883. UNPUBLISHED PARISH RECORDS Trinity Episcopal Church Records, Trinity Episcopal Church, Apalachicola, Florida. FEDERAL DOCUMENTS Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. 30 vols. Washington, 1895-1927. United States Congress, Sixth Census, 1840. Washington, D. C.: Blair and Rives, 1841. SSeventh Census, 1850. Washington, D. C.: Robert Armstrong, 1853. SEighth Census, 1860. Washington, D. C.: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1864. SEighth Census, 1860. Original Schedules. Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1864. SNinth Census, 1870. Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1873. STenth Census, 1880. Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1884. Eleventh Census, 1890. Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1895. Twelfth Census, 1900. Washington, D. C.: Apalachicola Florida Journal, 1840; 1844. Apalachicola Gazette, 1836-39. Apalachicola Star of the West, 1844. Apalachicola Times, 1900-1916; 1936. Apalachicola Watchman of the Gulf, 1843. Apalachicolan, 1840. Niles' Weekly Register, 1834-35; 1840-41. St. Joseph Times, 1838; 1840. North and South, (Louisville, Kentucky), 1909. Records of the Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering, Record Group 54, National Archives. BOOKS Kelly, Oliver Hudson. Origins and Progress of the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry in the United States; a History from 1866 to 1873. Philadelphia: J. A. Wagenseller, 1875. Mitchel, Cora. Reminiscences of the Civil War. Providence: Snow and Farnham, 1916. Moore, Frank, ed. The Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Events, with Documents Narratives, Illustrative Incidents. Poetry, etc.; with an Introductory Address By Edward Everett. 11 vols. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1861-68. Richardson, Simon Peter. The Lights and Shadows of Itinerant Life. Nashville: Publishing House of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 1900. Saunders, The Rev. William Treble. The Pastor's Wife; or Memoirs of E. M. S. New York: Little, Rennie, and Company, 1867. Schmidt, Lewis G., ed. The Civil War in Florida: a Military History. 6 vols. Allentown, PA.: Lewis G. Schmidt. 1985. Davis, William Watson. The Civil War And Reconstruction In Florida. New York: Columbia University, 1913. Divine, Robert A. America: Past and Present. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1991. Dodd, Dorothy. "The Secession Movement in Florida." Florida Historical Ouarterly 12 (July 1933): 1-26. Doherty, Herbert J. "Florida in 1856." Florida Historical Quarterly 35 (July 1956): 60-72. Ezell, John Samual. The South Since 1865. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1963. Gannon, Michael, ed. The New History of Florida. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1996. The Cross in the Sand: The Early Catholic Church in Florida, 1513-1870. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1965. Graham, Thomas S. "Florida Politics and the Tallahassee Press." Florida Historical Quarterly 46 (April 1968): 232-246. Henneman, John Bell. (editor in chief), History of the Literary and Intellectual Life of the South. Vol. VII. The South in the Building of a Nation. Richmond: Southern Historical Publication Society, 1909. Hesseltine, William B. The South in American History. New York: Prentice Hall Inc., 1936. Hill, Samual S. Religion in the Southern States. Macon: Mercer University Press, 1983. Hume, H. Harold. "Botanical Explorers of the Southeast," Florida Historical Quarterly 21 (October 1932): 293-300 Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church, The. New York: The Church Pension Fund, 1943. Kimball, Winifred. "Reminiscences of Alvan Wentworth Chapman," Journal of the New York Botanical Garden 253 (January 1921): 1-11. Mitchell, Samual C., (editor in chief) History of the Social Sweet, William Warren. The American Churches: An Interpretation. New York: Abington Cokebury Press, 1948. The Story of Religion in America. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1930. Tebeau, Charlton W. A History of Florida. Coral Gables: University of Miami Press, 1971. Thompson, Arthur W. "Political Nativism in Florida, 1848- 1860: A Phase of Anti-Secessionism." The Journal of Southern History (February 1949): 39-65. Willoughby, Lynn. Fair To Middlin': The Antebellum Cotton Trade Of The Apalachicola/Chattahoochee River Valley. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1993. Wilson, Charles Reagan and Ferris, William, eds. The Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1989. cotton grown in plantations along the Chattahoochee and Flint River valleys to buyers in the Northeast and abroad. Working on commission, these merchants, also known as factors, were an important economic link between the South's cotton belt and the world's textile industry.1 The church also benefitted from a close relationship to the Apalachicola Land Company, the largest private land owner in the territory. After the Territory of Florida recognized the incorporated church in 1837, Trinity remained the only organized religious institution in the port for nearly a decade. Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, and other denominations would later become prominent leaders in the community as well. As Apalachicola developed from frontier town to bustling international port, however, Trinity Episcopal Church was the bellwether parish.2 The United States acquired Florida from Spain in the For a thorough study of Apalachicola's role in the cotton trade, see Lynn Willoughby, Fair to Middlin': The Antebellum Cotton Trade of the Apalachicola/Chattahoochee River Valley. (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press) 1993. 2 Several unpublished histories of Trinity Church have been written. Fred Sawyer's "Trinity Episcopal Church, Apalachicola, Florida" (1950) is available at the Florida Archives in Tallahassee. Both Jimmie J. Nichols' "Sesquicentenial History of Trinity Episcopal Church" (1987) and George L. Chapel's "From Generation To Generation in the Church" (1995) are available at Trinity Church in Apalachicola. Forbes Company in 1819. When Spain ceded the land to the United States later that year, Carnochan and Mitchel claimed that they still retained the tract as private property despite the fact that jurisdiction had changed. A protracted legal struggle would last until 1835 as early attempts by Mitchel to have the Purchase recognized in the United States were unsuccessful. The case ultimately reached the Supreme Court which after several years of delay, finally ruled in favor of the claimants in "Mitchel v. the United States." The firm, which had commenced operations in the "Forbes Purchase" before the ruling, changed its name to "Apalachicola Land Company" in November of 1835.4 With clear title, the Apalachicola Land Company mapped out a city plan for the town. Uppermost in the minds of investors in the land company was preparing the port to handle high volume shipments of cotton. Lots purchased along the riverfront were required to be improved with the construction of three-story cotton warehouses. Many squatters who had lost their claim to land in Apalachicola after the Mitchel decision moved westward to the emerging 4 Apalachicola Land Company, Articles Of Agreement And Association. 1-4; Rogers, Outposts On The Gulf. 11. after Florida was obtained by the United States in 1821, Episcopal churches were founded in St. Augustine (1821), Pensacola (1827), Tallahassee (1827), Key West (1832), Jacksonville (1834), St. Joseph and Apalachicola. Under the leadership of the Reverend J. Loring Woart of St. John's in Tallahassee, the seven parishes formed the Diocese of Florida in 1837. Woart chaired the primary convention and addressed the pertinent issues of the fledgling diocese. The major concern of the convention was obtaining a bishop for the Church in Florida. As a short term solution, the delegates agreed to invite the Rt. Reverend James H. Otey of Tennessee to perform episcopal duties until the diocese was able obtain its own bishop. The convention also petitioned the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States to be received into the national body at the General Convention.7 George Field represented Trinity as one of twelve laymen in attendance. The Reverend Charles Jones, Trinity's rector in 1837-1838, was not present. Throughout the spring, summer, and fall of 1836, no Episcopal services were held in Apalachicola. Because its economy was based on the winter shipment of cotton, many of 7 Cushman, A Goodly Heritage. 17-18. 6 The church's founding vestrymen and incorporators were among Apalachicola's most prosperous residents. Colin Mitchel, John Gorrie, Elizer Wood, George S. Middlebrook, Hiram Nourse, William G. Porter, Cosam E. Bartlett, Ludlum S. Chittenden, and George Field held a considerable amount of wealth and influence in the community. Colin Mitchel, whose firm Carnochan and Mitchel had formed the Apalachicola Land Company, still served on the land company's board of directors. Hiram Nourse, a cotton factor, also served on the company's board in the 1830s and 1840s. Wood, Middlebrook, Nourse, Chittenden, and Porter were all cotton factors and dry goods merchants. Bartlett was perhaps the most influential of all the vestrymen. As the editor of The Apalachicola Gazette from 1835-1840, Bartlett had control over much of the information that reached the isolated frontier town. John Gorrie, who arrived in Apalachicola in 1833, was a surgeon but served Apalachicola in multiple capacities. At various times, Gorrie served as postmaster, city councilman, city treasurer, and city intendant. His pioneering efforts in artificial refrigeration would gain him international recognition. Unfortunately for Gorrie, most all of his The rectorship of Charles Jones at Trinity proved to be short lived after he did not return to Apalachicola in the fall of 1838. Accepting an offer from Calvary Church in New York City, Jones left Trinity without clergy again. As senior warden, George Field performed services and remained upbeat about the future of the young parish. In January of 1839 he told the second Diocesan Convention that a subscription had been filled to build a church edifice and a suitable lot had already been obtained. The lot was a gift of the Apalachicola Land Company. Field was confident the building would be completed by March of 1840. The warden also indicated that he would conduct services until the structure was finished. He did not want to recruit another rector until an adequate facility was in place.14 John Chrystie, a cotton warehouse clerk in the late 1830s recalled the services held by Field during the winter of 1838-1839: Sunday, there is a man here who reads the Episcopal service at the hotel at which all the old women in both petticoats and breeches attend. He is the cashier of a bank here and I believe a damned hypocritical son of a seacook. Have never been to hear him yet having plenty of everything 14 Ibid., 1839. 15-16. contributions of individuals from other denominations also eased the blow of economic hardship on the new church. Though Field was optimistic about the future of the parish in his reports to the diocese in 1838 and 1839, Trinity and the other parishes in the territory were affected by the depression. Out of seven parishes in 1839, the diocese had only 100 communicants of which Trinity claimed ten. While the number of confirmed Episcopalians was low at Trinity and elsewhere in the diocese, baptism numbers were more promising. In 1837 and 1838, Reverend Jones baptized ten infants.7 Field's confidence may also have been based on the fact that 42 individuals purchased pews to fund construction prior to the Panic. The help of so many donors who were not confirmed Episcopalians was crucial to the early church. On average, each pewholder paid more than $275 for a subscription. The motivation behind non-Episcopalians' generosity was most likely due to the belief that their denomination would be able to use the facility. Pewholders who were members of the Masonic Lodge also perhaps hoped to use the temple for meetings. Pew sales, frequently viewed in hindsight as an often 17 Trinity Episcopal Church Records, Trinity Church, Apalachicola. architecture of the church matched a popular structural style of the antebellum period. The practice of shipping a "pre-fabricated" building to Apalachicola, while ambitious, was not exclusive to Trinity Church. Thomas Orman and David Raney, both commission merchants, had their homes produced in the same manner. Raney was also a vestryman at Trinity.20 The vestry invited the Reverend A. Bloomer Hart to serve the Parish in 1840. The following year, Bishop James H. Otey of the Diocese of Tennessee arrived in Apalachicola to perform the rite of consecration. Before "an orderly and apparently devout congregation," Otey consecrated Trinity Church on February 14, 1841.21 In his letter to the Diocesan Convention of 1842, the bishop commented on his impressions of the town and parish: "Seldom has my heart been so affected by the beautiful and touching services of the sanctuary....Everything gives promise of the increase and firm establishment of the church and the young and flourishing city of Apalachicola." Bishop Otey also confirmed five people while in Apalachicola bringing the total number of communicants to nineteen. 20 Trinity Episcopal Church Records, Trinity Episcopal Church, Apalachicola. 21 Diocesan Journal, 1842, 5-6. 14 CHAPTER TWO PERSEVERANCE AND PROSPERITY Throughout the 1840s and 1850s, Apalachicola was a thriving frontier town. It was the third largest port on the Gulf coast. A demand for cotton by the textile industry of New England and Great Britain led to steady traffic on the Apalachicola River. As the community enjoyed increasing financial security, Trinity Church was able to grow in the antebellum period. The myriad obstacles which faced the young parish were absorbed as the congregation expanded. The problems facing Trinity after consecration in 1841 mirrored dilemmas other churches in Florida encountered. The Episcopal Diocese of Florida's most obvious shortcoming was leadership. As each of the individual parishes struggled to become self sufficient, the necessary funds to establish an episcopate were not yet available. The temporary solution was to invite bishops from neighboring dioceses to perform episcopal offices in Florida.' In the decade following Trinity's consecration, a bishop visited Cushman, A Goodly Heritage. 1965, 18-20. 16 antebellum travel limited his contributions. Hoping to remedy the situation, a ways and means committee was formed to investigate methods of raising an episcopal fund at the 1848 convention. The following year, committee chairman George R. Fairbanks of St. Augustine proposed an annual assessment from each parish to pay the bishop's salary. If an adequate collection was not obtained, Fairbanks suggested allowing the bishop to serve as rector and thus earn a salary in one of the parishes. The committee's suggestions were well received and the election for the first Bishop of Florida was set for the next annual meeting.5 The clergymen present at the Diocesan Convention of 1851 nominated the Rev. Francis Huger Rutledge, rector of St. Johns, Tallahassee, to be Florida's first Protestant Episcopal bishop. Rutledge, a native of South Carolina, accepted the post after a brief deliberation. In addition, St. John's, the wealthiest parish in the diocese, agreed to retain Bishop Rutledge as rector and offered him his previous salary. The episcopate fund established by the ways and means committee would provide only a supplemental income.6 5 Cushman, A Goodly Heritage. 24-27. 6 Ibid., 1846. 27-28. for Episcopalians in Apalachicola, the bishop's journey to Trinity Church was one of his least complicated. After his ordination in 1851, Rutledge visited Trinity parish every year during the 1850s, except 1854 and 1855.8 With the episcopate established, Trinity was able to increase its membership nearly every year with new classes of confirmed Episcopalians. With three diocesan visits during the 1840s, Trinity was only able to graduate three confirmation classes. During that decade, the number of communicants increased by eleven whereas between 1852 and 1860, Trinity grew in communicants from twenty-five to seventy. Forty individuals were confirmed at Trinity during that eight year span.9 Regular diocesan visits allowed for greater stability in the parish as-well as enabling the church to involve families since confirmation classes were typically made up of adolescents. According to parish reports to the diocesan conventions, Trinity rectors baptized 174 individuals from 1841 to 1860. Nearly all of the baptized were infants. The growth of family involvement in the church reflected the changing demographics of the town. According to the 1840 8 Diocesan Journal. 1852-1860. Parochial Reports. 9 Ibid., 1852-1860. dilemma that prevented greater settlement of families was the Native American situation. While the Apalachicola River valley did not experience as much of bloodshed as the central peninsula did, there remained a fear of Indian attack throughout the 1840s and 1850s. While Native Americans traded the land later known as the "Forbes Purchase" to settle debts with a trading company at the beginning of the nineteenth century, a small population of Indians inhabited the Apalachicola River valley during the Second Seminole War. The annual report of the Apalachicola Land Company in 1841 illustrated the anxiety of investors and residents of Apalachicola: "...roving bands that are supposed to have their lurking places in the 'Purchase' have kept up a constant alarm and committed frequent murders."11 At the Diocesan Convention of 1839, delegates representing Trinity heard accounts of horrific skirmishes from brethren living close to the fighting. The Reverend Francis Lee of St. John's, Tallahassee read a letter to the convention regarding the welfare of a young boy he had recently baptized. The letter described a massacre of a family living outside of Tallahassee, with the recently 11 Apalachicola Land Company, Sixth Annual Report of the Directors of the Apalachicola Land Company. 1841. 4. 22 1850s. Residents of Apalachicola were familiar with the forces of nature. Those individuals and families who remained in town during the summer months endured oppressive and inescapable heat. During the antebellum period, several hurricanes slammed into the panhandle causing major destruction to coastal communities. A series of hurricanes in the late 1830s left St. Joseph nearly ruined. An outbreak of yellow fever in 1840 and 1841 completed the destruction of the once proud boom-town. Trinity's sister parish, St. Joseph's Episcopal Church, died with the community.13 While storms and pestilence also battered Apalachicola, the town was able to rebound. Destructive "gales" landed in 1842, 1844, 1850, 1852, 1853, and 1857 without disastrous effect to the Apalachicola economy. In fact, during the same time span cotton receipts climbed to their highest levels. This prosperity explains why Trinity, which was badly damaged during several of these storms, was able to rebuild quickly. In reference to the storms of 1842 and 1844, the Reverend A. Bloomer Hart, rector from 1840-1845, wrote to the Diocesan Convention of 1844: "...the long 13 Rogers, Outposts On The Gulf. 1986, 15-18. 24 the diocese, Saunders frequently commented on his frustration with the seasonal attendance fluctuations." Throughout the antebellum period, Apalachicola did not diversify economically. The shipment of cotton, the port's primary source of revenue, only occurred from late fall to early spring. Individuals and families who could afford to leave during the summer sailed north. Because twenty-five percent of Apalachicola's commission merchants were members of Trinity church, the impact that summer migration had upon the congregation was keenly felt."1 Ironically, it was Apalachicola's itinerant lifestyle that prevented a devastating plague from destroying the town. Like many communities in Florida during the antebellum period, Apalachicola was hit with a yellow fever epidemic. Transmitted by mosquitoes, the virus was most common in the summer months when most of the port's population was elsewhere. In 1841, yellow fever swept through the panhandle killing nearly 100 Apalachicolans between May and October. The same year an epidemic ravaged nearby St. Joseph as the town was still crowded with people. The morbid result was more than the boom-town could endure. 17 Ibid., 1852. 29-30; Ibid., 1854. 29-30; Ibid., 1856. 17-18. 18 Willoughby, Fair To Middlin. 1993. 115. 26 Raney, the Auxiliary Guild of Trinity was the driving force behind the church's seemingly continuous rebuilding process. The guild proved to be a successful fund raiser for the church. The money given the vestry by the women's society paid for necessary repairs of the church as well as appointments such as the communion set. Following the hurricane of 1853 the church needed repair, and the Auxiliary Guild raised $492 in one evening from what the rector termed: "a beautiful entertainment."22 On several occasions the auxiliary exceeded their monetary goals and left the vestry with a surplus.23 While the women of the church were instrumental in the parish's business affairs, there is no evidence to suggest that they were outspoken in any social movements before the Civil War. A temperance society was formed in Apalachicola by the early 1840s but there is no known connection between Trinity and the movement. The Episcopal church in Florida was at best indifferent to the issue, and in some parishes both clergy and laity were outspoken against banning alcohol.24 In Apalachicola, the Methodist church 22 Ibid., 1856. 17-18. 23 Apalachicola Commercial Advertiser, April 13, 1844. 24 Cushman, A Goodly Heritage. 24-25. 28 sectarian preachers."2 As Reverend Hart remained steadfast to his strict interpretation of the canon, the Methodists resigned themselves to holding services in various members' homes. In 1844, a Methodist church was built which brought an end to the ordeal. Sore feelings lingered between the congregations. Announcements in the Apalachicola Commercial Advertiser by the Methodist church made indirect criticism of the Episcopalians on several occasions throughout the 1840s. One example occurred in the paper on April 27, 1844: "There is nothing exclusive about the Methodists in their form of worship..." Later, in 1848 a letter to the editor from an "Authorized Agent" of the Methodist Church read: "It will be borne in mind that we, as a sect, for what we consider good reasons, never build a pewed church."28 Reverend W. J. Zimmer, Trinity's rector in 1848, vaguely described another conflict during his brief tenure at the church. Although he did not indicate what the controversy involved, Zimmer wrote that he had to resign, "...on account of the discord and insubordination which prevailed." Several families, including parents with children preparing 27 Ibid., 1845. 8. 28 Apalachicola Commercial Advertiser. April 6, 1848. 30 parish in the diocese prior to the Civil War.32 While Catholic priests had visited Apalachicola throughout the 1840s, a congregation was not organized until Father Patrick J. Coffey of Columbus, Georgia, formed a parish in 1851. Apalachicola was teeming with Catholic families as a high number of Irish Catholics immigrated to the port in the 1840s. According to Trinity records, two Irish families became members of the Episcopal church before the Catholic parish was established. The Grady family, natives of Cork, would raise their American born children to be active at Trinity. The eldest Grady of this generation would later become senior warden of Trinity parish for fifty years.33 Anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant sentiments prior to the Civil War gained national attention as a political organization known as the American Party grew in strength and numbers. The American Party, also known as "Nativists" and "Know Nothings", established a platform based on the lengthening of the naturalization process due to the fear of increased job competition and diminishing wages. Since a large number of the immigrants were Irish, they were the 32 Cushman, A Goodly Heritage. 29-30. 33 Trinity Episcopal Church Records. Trinity Church, Apalachicola. parishioner, was the Democratic candidate for Congress in 1856. After a convincing victory, Hawkins became Florida's lone voice in the House of Representatives.37 An issue that had to be addressed by all denominations was the position of slaves and free blacks. The Episcopal church in Florida and throughout the South was committed to the catechising and confirmation of African-Americans. Yet, the church in the South viewed slavery as a legal institution and did not support emancipation until after the Civil War. In their annual parochial reports, the parishes of the Diocese of Florida often included the number of blacks who were baptized and confirmed as well as the number of slaves and free blacks who attended Sunday school. According to the Rev. Owen P. Thackara, who served St. Peter's in Fernandina prior to the Civil War, a rector's success was in large part judged by "his faithful labor and success among the colored people."38 An architectural indication of Trinity's interest in the religious culture of blacks was the second floor slave gallery. At the same Southern History 15 (February 1949), 45-46. 37 Florida. Office of Secretary of State, Election returns by county, 1856. 38 Cushman, A Goodly Heritage. 39; Diocesan Journal, 1877, p.40. Middle Florida, Apalachicola had little agriculture.42 As a result, the need for slaves was not great in the port. In addition, the large number of Irish immigrants living in Apalachicola were available to perform much of the manual labor along the wharf and in the warehouses. The loading and unloading of bales of cotton was dangerous and involved a high risk of injury. Due to this fact, it is understandable why slave owners would not want to use their slaves, a costly investment, for such labor. A large percentage of the slaves who were in Apalachicola probably worked in domestic capacities. Although thirty-five slaves and free blacks were baptized at Trinity prior to Civil War, none were confirmed Episcopalians. The first people of African descent to be confirmed were Francis and Charlotte Cook in 1866. The Cooks, along with four of their children, were baptized at Trinity in 1846. Francis, who had a different owner than his wife and children, was believed to have purchased his freedom within a decade after his baptism. When a slave was baptized, the owner's name was listed as a sponsor in the parish records. When three more of Francis and Charlotte's children were christened in 1856, "Frank Nourse, col'd" was 42 U.S. Congress, Seventh Census, 1860. (Washington, D. C.: Government Prining Office), 400. 36 lanl LFLflll fO Thp pnprr noneb ~~Yelp~ll rerP xnf~pn rulpar~ af LD~ frrcfa. m plr~irullr Or. E. B Pulrylr Cululm n cnn0lu Usrlfmr 91-P6.1.U Chursn Ilic oxford -re~Fnr. liondan nncmllllan and co i 1Pli 16. IB On the eve of the Civil War, Reverend Saunders wanted to expand the church to accommodate the growing congregation. Funds for an expansion were not available as the treasury was still low from necessary repairs following a hurricane in 1857.47 In his memoirs, Saunders described himself as having a strict adherence to the rites of the Book of Common Prayer.48 Given these tractarian leanings, it is possible that Saunders would have pushed for restructuring the sanctuary in a fashion of Catholic revival. The years 1859 and 1860 were among the most prosperous for Trinity Episcopal church. The rector wrote glowing reports to the diocese: "The minister has...been much cheered by the greater devotion of the members, and by the general seriousness of the demeanor in the attendants of public worship. He trusts there is a spiritual harvest, in God's own time, to be reaped here."49 In terms of cotton receipts, 1859 and 1860 were two of the port's best seasons, 47 Diocesan Journal. 1860. 24. 48 Saunders, The Pastor's Wife. 1867. 65. 49 Diocesan Journal. 1860. 24. 40 cIUPTER THRLE savIvrac1 aEctssioN iW scHIsM asue~rcr euffrids str -ts ;-:r rthe po ta of .;.p al a. Ul~nblockade. Between 1B63-1B70, Trinlty s confirmed smeaerlhip dropped from seventy to thlirty-seven while Apalachlico la was Pard the physical destruCTI ~ ll T committee~ in Florida and the confederacy faced. Ihe x eprtheless~ Ioft the baserl II por onlirtur. :he port :lire largst~ part ;r the iirt coast. :his 4.sexr1ctin made :he town a strateIC sIte for both Borth .an southT at t beginning of the war. Uni0n strateglists wnted to prevent the shipment of goodl In and out of the Aipalachicole iiver system as much as conlederates desired To keep that airtry II1I1 :_ll:~j~n n~~ jll 1~_/ 1__11 1:11-1, irrr~ilsn cmrrir;on. ~ni ~i~aay rtlsiod iina ~' h.i or Ilonev ~o ~hr Itlrr in iri Llrlr y.~r rr no indrpmdent 'c~iv~lic rhou~h Lhr r~.icrjnl cliui;n m anr;f -h~ i-llr( d~n~n;nr(;;n In th iau~h. 1 nl~n piop;rr.;n mt r~nna~rrre I~nar~rh;s rsir iplriornll~ni n~l~~irr n rl 1~~1111(_1~ Crr r-1Lded i~. Jil~~ r~lllll~~C filitlirill. rl.i~~- -.rl.*.l:ili ~nllIl if ~n~ X~T ilnii~l idllYnO l(lI*i i~iTn X1~ Iii LIIOLYII EIIIC.l.ill..l T1IC iFIC~I~I ChYlih in th~ ioYrlilin IT~~r~ nnl P: 111~ In ~ICtl~n~l rnalon irlar ~~ rhi r~i *irn tne 'ornrrlon at ~hi Unlulrrlly ~I Ihr iluth In IsiB In~ iclia? r~~ md~r~d ~Y outh~ln dlor~r~r nn~ plmnrl r; cnrtr 1 u~u~rsl(p ~n pr rllh Yxlaib mt fcud~;; mt rrh~~l ma i~~~llrr* ~I r~ulnrin bi~no~r.;nclualn( If(Ci Tn~ ~~Cldln~ I(((I h~d I~mrl mri~rlurr.i me Cmlrdri~fe irlrr rI M~rirn. (nr :erdr; ;f ~nr 6hrc pdo0n 6006 660666 used as lankets for rebel toc~ L;l~h Li SCordere canro. The r.ct.oaI., oxid~ ve slaves. T1e congregation at Tranat, was also facing an or of; 00666an b 0sides the con00 ct. Even though lss and 1060 erel good business years for tne Part, a developing note~r asrlloo lli Ceorge had begun al~~- a~o rifr rand 196 produced swerlc crops ;n the *interland, and the 1:.1 aneer of cotton receipes at the pa~lacrl commission houles stall reppreseted a lo* percentage of the overal: necke.- Between I*50 and 1860. Apalachlcao~l r ha; o! the ipolechctacol~rraichataboce Rivr valley agricull u -egion dropped Lrro 79 torpre tl F*c, atmorut biverse ryii L. Gra~di PIA I Papr PrEpd and Roa~d byi M. lienri J: 006 -3 060 0066 6006000 6606t. M02166621 LY,. 6-1 -6o 0 0 0 60 6 0600 000~ 00600y 1960 th, b- e r II. rl Y.1 I ~ tfr I ilhl. Aolr -.1~lo, --d by, iiay d fin~ ta~r, i n un reoodx~~ale f n mm~e. sicrdb-adre h rl/rjnl alelandr. ~ MLafh. calo~anding a~f~cli ot mrrriar of uesr ilond~ ~rd narlann~ In 11I1 ieirr 196( ril~ i.~piil~n *nl n iuec~;i :oi mt Un.rlb ~f Ib;m ~nd hi~ n~n tnr~~.lrue;p,,,~mce Crilnr rhalr b.rflo, r~rrrlrlno Conlodoi~(r h~n~riluaidm~ri st Lu*ii shurch nl I*niilin*o iian uhlm ~h~y It jn-ri-.-(rii U~Fm. *na Iri roundrd ~Y n ~rll wnllr L1-;*;dln~ ridrr~l f Chnpo~n xli iuln~ir~lr ra hlr drus rla;e ~ai iuppilr UIXI* ii~l TTrililiiYi rhi Iii )IFCI I.rP in the b~y -11 ~Ylf_ :OnfOdil~T1 IIY~TTII11~ UnO Inldl ChlP~nn *n~ Xlill~d LY -iilnl illliiri 11151 mil ni~ Tin~P ~D TIIOYII Th. canl~drrlrer hrd nai~le baaililo u LY~.I II I'd( ~nd NliYr~l Bild~s iI IBbl il~ )(IPi ietell.n~ Irrrrl. *nr nr~r dele~~ ihal ~al iabei) E i~r lurrmdrrrd ~~ a~lann((~x on inl J;ioli E i~hnia-. *no x~r rh~ iawnn)ln~ iel`nquiihrd ~a*~r to C~nrir. ri.lion~ *ri xri auer, but Xp~l~cmcal~ besn~e ~ ~lh(i Lhi forner co~fan urrihzurr mb ;~rr LB6i. ~;I rl ~h~ Ynl~n lor;il Irfr ihLn LnF i;eu lilllan 1, laundrri rptuind rr I;i..,lr n~Lli (nr unr. hr Ir:lird Tnii[y p~ ico..n mr.rorprilr) ;( enl"~'d bunn~ in rhi ~Yi/ ~ EYenl~(n h~depdl-Yr~I dereriarnri~n ulmmn rilr ~arr r ~nd np.dpd mly;aM~riill ~c~ i;n(l;n sri~n~lirlzn irnr L-r yh me Lrlf~ir ~I c~r(an ~n* arr LB66 md lill Unlor~un~(ply mnraunb xnr rhaitl:rrd ~I nal :~rr;rrocn~~ nid r.inr Collf~d~llCV Bllh.P ilnCli liYl~i nYtlid~O ini Lnl ICIIIR *irxe~n mt niarali al ilarlda and ~ cnircn wlr;ln nonrnl nllrr ipinnrrrox, iplrl~ rrrcio*iur mt f~Llm CoIII*liriili ;h~-lrd nFlr npnnmlca~r~ rllur rliDill'lDn xnr mrl. ~a orhel p~rrr ot ~nr iiloia- allll mraucour tn ;hi i~L~ ~f ti~o~ian In rhr shurrli nld ra ~r id ot llriinnin~riic~nr xlr inyoirml ra IIl-r-1 p d.,p~er I~iirr;l i*. elr;*r *r;r ouoi ranrl; IndlYldYdl. Xin I.~Ylnlli preienr r~r ~h~ lundry rprulce In lsbl. Thr cnurcnI popul~ilr)- ~~~n *an~d and icull becan. frulfm~pd. re.llrlng fnrf fne hfuroy of Ine Baa* Camoan Pnyei x.i ~aa denrr for 1 iPm-li~er~(P ion~r~larlan. Inoulh Ishulllr ichaal ~sbe i~sf~er yro~rel Lhe inr(lrurlan II n-dr~y x~i ~har~llu~d. ilnnnclnlly .tr.pped In 1869, fnF dloseir ionau~d monernly ruWor~ fr icullii churcn and Icnool Ihe ~lrcapnl snurcn Ir naildli r~nalned Infererfpb Lnr ninfu-L uelfrlr af LLnc~n-*n~eiisnnli alrhaugh ias~pn rum~m. n Fonnlu niilnre 6167; ~Y-Ce~L~~ ~YYLII; L861. l~i (i"l; m~e. Isas, ia, m~e, lasr. rs 1I1CnlColn~ Lne nl(nOdlJr jlF* BIPTUT CIYTC1I~~ LI~U rh. 1C*~ PI~LLIIII lini~fii~ LI~~ ~ne~r ain cannyrl(;r BY ii. *a~n a~ ~nrir ~ininl-~llcrr hlb ieplrlre Lfl;cm murFnpr it. ?lu.~ ilrlr~n Nernob~r~ iF;rc;~rl *r, i.;r Bnp(ir( il.lri~li rhirP Snpr.r( Irb mollrr m;i~~ri~ ;anductrd Irrilrri L;i r;p *l~r* .gregrrlanl In*o(n i~rr~. *1~;* Il-ln~prl.rrp Iruol an the i~ejlnnlni md rir~ ~*lp Lo rfu~y Lne mnlrfry DnFrll~ me~i xmL1 Lir(nr~n I) Tne f~rrr iplrrollrl urch faonded *Y Lfiicm-Pn~llTiinTi it. PpTerir In Xey .r, ri oa~ ~rqanlied un~il LBli Ire eu.nlelli.l n~tulr af ~hp nothadii( nnd Blp:li( ursnei x.i.r.PP~dl'"~`o ~Llsii ni Lr mi (a Ihi:ei r Yethadl~r Cnjlch Ln iloildn h~d ipllr r~~l Ilr nrrla~ by auer ilnrri, In 1816 Ind nlijird Ifirlt rih 'he Cuiiurm. ~ FnrOlu*rilrl~( $1Bi. Dlorrlm Inllmil ~llsop~l iddrrii 11868, ii ~nl~shiFal~ i0~.11.111 nnui;~i/rr. mish L~I 1B~B; gerr. nllmni~- nn ~ni 61111. 21. Cuin~~n. r innnlu Y-rlrrn- I"~ LO IOYL~b i- Ilei~ll P~PYL mPI;Pllr iPF~lrY-Llen md rhlll fZllle~ LIIC*I rerrelmreb rho nl rhr rrrrli only nou i~~e ~a -inilliiiaunil rrau~h it n~eraur r.g;lrlon. they *eir i-rlelr. Di me;urr af rh~ LIlli. i~mmY. Tiern, ril rh~ iiYl.i lined the Xn.il 1T IPnllCni~ll. BCrXeCn rli~ 1Yi Br.thrir Cmning Calpnny.nd the Bly Clli Pnc*inl Cra~anil m~ ruo nou~or onoiry~d note the 60Y *oi*rir an (*~ wafer a;d in me Lacra;y di;ii-il Ica~ar. Thr nru ~me.ailan of aurln~ra I~ad.rr In ~rl.chicola n.d rrrrns Il.r Tr Irlni~l ipl~co~al church jlrorr Clo~rl p"l'd."T SL Ihe CoaMI C~~P'1II ~~Tendrd IrlmiS xIOI ms La.lly. I. S. Ilohr, uho apprlrd me CYP"II Liunb.r Co.p.ay. ar* irrh N Xlnb~ll, uhr u*r n eaii P.rrn.l.L L00rJ1SI *.ie ~O~h P*rilhl~n~rl ceorne H ~u~e and jahr i- iiugel lounder. of the iiuqe Brorherr Cillinlng CDlpaly. .Ira.or~~lscd at Lne ip.riajal ;hu-co *iiry EI the nmrnalr and 4LLT. to m~ CIIYICI Yeic slYLn bY the t..ille~ O( TLSe pnrirpl~,rrir. The rpange Inbu~riy EL Fl~llda ual prlna;lly c~ir~r~d nr.und Ced.l Xey.nd Tarpon 5*ling.. bur ~r~a mo 187os to a;.uad ls:o ai rrny nr f*e:va ~P'"~e ~oafr l;pmrre our of ~p'Lcmc~~a lilolglnS lioug~r diu~lrl~y ra the aprlrchlrol~ larrlacnicoln- city of nanilert n~rrii~.- Ll~nnd ~uLh Ijunr. IPD91 I. TI:iiry Lp-.C~I~'I Cnsr;n ieioid.. Tiinlfy Church. Lp.L.Fh~cala. rr~d iaxyei. Ir. ~lnmfy ipiiapal cnulcn. i.lchlcola. F;lnda.~ L(IY 22. mip cilmdlprlrr u~i~ rxn~olrr al Lulmirrer rllr opel Lhe lart drcldrl a~ rh~ nin(ronrh spn~ury ii it mt md of fnr irr *lil~~ I iiundrir~i ren~ -:r- Iii-L`i Iho p~;iih n1 rl;ll~~r Innil.r~ Ini Loi mlr~iy iii 1819. i~uiicri rrpolrrd LhlT rru*nly rmf: E~lrcaprli*ni Yor.hlped ~I Illllfy I Wnll~ lie n~b LO _nl frOnrjsi IIISIIVLI Iiii(i mi ~i-lln~ Ln ~he L.lfii )~Cldel Of -nP irnll ra iupprrr 'ni ~~iiin smiii~m;LY ulrh;u( dl~c~r~T nli.lan.ij fYndl Br(roen loi~l)or. IIllllri U1I ~n ind af .lisiin .L.trr reuri.l rl.ei 'i Bliilui. icnn rremnn loull~ uied hli dl.clr~lon arir h;r iruih LLn~ nllrlannrler rp~n( eiih ioiiiian Onfarrunn(ely for rrlnlry nnb if Lu*rlr. ~heii ulisi rjmr nnil at h.i drir ;n :hr ilipri ~ptlrri;l Iro :oir i~i :rlli(Y '"d ~ilniiiialn rrrul~lrd to Inn ruen~un esa-sn~li~lly tnr Prarei(~i~ EF.issp~l Chu;m m island Ir .ro*l.. rrpldly Th;uih ~hp i~n~i ie~i~ln~d ant a~:nl lesi yo~uln~ian in m~ Unlfeb iflfer, i~r yl~~rerr urr due to riynnilon .n nirlculrirr, nfrui. lun*r;, nsu~L r~r`ir. lu~rrac*. ii~rr ~rrullcfunnj mo or~o; DUi~~~n;ni ldrr~;irr ~5 mt ~o~umi~an r~irrd lu;r~sr rorri. Ihe nuuer af i~irio~rl cnulcnrr in the diairrr iiiie~red ~ia. Isll ,2-,i. ~e. la~~ la; ~e Iss2 12. ~iri. Issl it; ~Le. 1887 PnlOCnl~li~~~T~Ii ~el ld)~ P~iochl~lilp~or~r ~e. lara s~. 15 Ilib j .CC~~IOI liiiiir~ ~*P ~~ rh lar~i nnd I'rl-n- nir Lli~r jpric of dpll~ein~ian ~n~an~ mt Ltepr an ~n~ ruLJpc~. hC ~Di~iii~iP X~I FOI1Ti- Si diri.ll the LDiloll.* ~~-- Ihe dilCi~~ ~Yel n~U ~I ~1~03~1 lni Bli*iP Wle*ll ~r.nnri liaselan. atrerleurml yelrl ~linop ~nd l~y nnd rlerlml sonrul eYLn? ~nl m~ *PCIIPI Of fn~ ilnCT~si(l CIOTYliI nLOid I(~Y~~~r~ 1~~ mren~mmn~ fnr r;libli:fi of IW L(~. I;( ;CLe iP~a I*PIOEI rinirnn '.lirn.! IBPO. 1I-1(. IB*2 Iil( ill 9Y~li~lei ~f the Tlel* *n0 LPIIPYC~ tl~~ m~ lb ~CnYrSnlY i( iCot~91 cnmoll Illui~r~red a ch occurred in 1873 when Low Church extremists led by the Rt. Rev. George D. Cummins, assistant Bishop of Kentucky, formed the Reformed Episcopal Church.44 The first rector in the Diocese of Florida to join the Reformed Episcopal church was the Rev. James S. Harrison of Christ Church, Monticello. Harrison's defection occurred after the Rev. Edward Meany, the High Church rector of St. John's in Tallahassee, proposed a controversial resolution to the Diocesan Council of 1877. The Reverend Meany, an Englishman, suggested that the Diocese of Florida should support a movement in the national church to delete the term, "Protestant" from its title. Meany argued that the word was a misnomer, and it also suggested congregational autonomy. Although the resolution was withdrawn before a vote, its introduction fueled a fierce debate. The Reverend Harrison, an evangelical and staunch opponent of the resolution, realized that despite this small victory for Low Churchmen, the diocese was on the whole moderately Anglo- Catholic. Shortly after the council adjourned, Harrison informed the congregation in Monticello of his intentions to join the Reformed Episcopal Church. By 1878, Harrison 44 Cushman, A Goodly Heritage. 1965. 98-100. 74 Church dieagreement or the rltualiie mue o r Reverend *eany's services Perlaps hli background had already -xp-sea him o iagto-ca1hollcim, and he did not view The ritual as out of the ordinary. was parents. cornellus and ElTz-beth Grady, Elre irish cathol-. i-lgrants who draed their chtzaren In the Spiscopal Church. w~hen the -rady arrived in Aalac.icola h-s .-r nerIttet. -, only religious Institution In torn to have its own edifice and hold regular services. Fl-ko-g orne co-muned at Tr.n.ty. Edlzab converted In 18.6 and .1 llb her children wh. survived to adulth.o1 were t p. copal-ah ," what exactly made Trinity appeallng to Elirabeth Grady is not known, but one could surmise that the church liad Catholic elements which were familiar to her. As Franilin county neared the twentieth century. h EpI-copal commtlity washealthy Besldes the nCne-y-f-d. coh-nhcan.s at Trinity. a new mission in carracle boasted twenty-Plx confirmed spisCopallars In 1896. The cIt.y of Carrabelle was founded as a vacation commatry in L187 by oliver iiudson Kelly. K~elly, well known as the founder of The Patrons of husbandry. also helped to establrih the churchrr a~~~p i Church Recoird. Trinity sPIscopal P~mCnlsl~ ~IOUfn j8 reprelmfin~ 2ZL leolle attended ~h~ shurih. Tor the first rwe rn r~nm history. nare than one nundred c~nflm~ed pplrcapllr~nr uarahlpr~ II i:lnity i Dunno me bnfeb~llu~ leriad. the highert nunYFI of somn~ums~n(l. seventy. x~I reoorded rn 18io.' m~ iac* o~lrrll fern~.nui and me Im~ltall~nr of a In~llor xn(rr nai~ar still Inmblfed the torn Ir 1)00 Elporfml lu~b~r. ieafaod, honey. turpentine end other goobs Iraduced In irnnilln sounty xai (m~e conru~ln~ and elpenilve ia~ilN CoanWI. iohn s. nnd reai~e n Ru~e. Ueniy L. Tmby, nnd 1 T Oirnan unruccessfully Irrm~pfed ro estnblirh a rall sannpcnon ior Iml~shlsaln In the 188or these ;ndluldualr rho aiMns men~ represented n n~loi~fy of me nm~er. sesiood s~nmn~. and mercantile interests In me toin, xeie all Trlnlty plrrshloners r.nother saMoumsnnf. Jann E rrrdy. xer fh~ ~ieslden( of the Ipnlncnlcoln Board of Ii~ide that errlpfeb ro seiure iundr ioi de~yemn~ the nlr~or in ~Wi~li~a(lon of funds un rrce~ueb fron~ C.nirerr. hut nor n suiilsient ~naun( i~r diedglnl rlnshic~la say Nevertheless Irnfflo on the ~~l~ihicola 8rupr son(lnu~d (~ Ircreare during the t~rrr deslde oi the nlncrirniOYinll lso( parochial i~eparrr m~e. Isi,-lsbo 21 so who do not go to church within the portals of God's sanctuary."7 The Daughters of the King also presented eucharistic candlesticks the following year to go with the recently installed altar.8 While these improvements may or may not have been responsible for the growth of the congregation, the beauty of their gifts likely inspired the individuals and families already in attendance. Bishop Edwin Gardner Weed believed that a healthy chapter of the Daughters of the King indicated a parish with a strong spiritual life. Trinity's St. Agnes chapter of the Daughters of the King joined other women's groups already in existence at Trinity. The oldest group, Trinity Guild, was formed in 1841. The guild primarily functioned as a sewing society and a fund raiser.9 The Rev. William T. Saunders noted in his reports to the diocese following the destructive antebellum hurricanes that the money raised by the guild was instrumental in the necessary building repairs after these gales. Perhaps most importantly, the guild 7 Diocesan Journal. "Episcopal Address." 1899. 45; George R. Bentley, The Episcopal Diocese of Florida, 1892-1975. (Gainesville: University Presses of Florida) 1989. 8 Sawyer, "Trinity Episcopal Church, Apalachicola, Florida," 1950. 21. 9 Apalachicola Times, February 1, 1936. 82 diocese level, they were not given the right to vote in parish meetings until 1915. Women were not eligible to become vestry members in the Diocese of Florida until 1967.14 Another committee at Trinity that was in step with the growth of the church was the Women's Rectory Association. Plans for building a new residence for the parish rector began in 1897-1898 under the Rev. C. L. Pinder. The old parsonage, which had been enlarged in 1857 during another period of growth for the parish, was deemed inadequate. The Rev. William T. Saunders, rector from 1851-1870, described his old residence as "comfortable and spacious," yet "humble in architecture."15 The significant limitation of this residence was the fact that it was not adjacent to the edifice. The new rectory was to be built on the original property. Led by Mrs. Carrie Kimball, the Rectory Association raised the necessary funds, and in May 1900, the new rectory was completed.16 While the women of Trinity were leaders in the growth 14 Bentley, The Episcopal Church of Florida. 1989. 58-61; 214-215. 15 Saunders, The Pastor's Wife. 1866. 47. 16 Apalachicola Times, February 1, 1936. 84 Gardner Weed Ruge was born in 1890.19 Trinity's difficulty in maintaining a rector continued after 1900. For the first five years of the new century, three different rectors served the church. The unique and isolated nature of the town made the position difficult to fill. Though the church's financial condition was improving, the parish on occasion relied on missionary funds from the diocese. Fortunately for Trinity, continuity in leadership was delivered in 1905 when the Rev. Thomas J. Purdue arrived with his family in Apalachicola. A native of England, Reverend Purdue began his ministry in the Anglican Church serving as a missionary in London's East End. While Trinity was fortunate to have one rector from 1905 until Purdue's departure in 1915, the parish had to share their clergyman. Reverend Purdue held services at the Church of the Ascension in Carrabelle on scheduled weekdays as well as one service a month at St. John's Mission in Wewahitchka. In addition, the family of St. George Island lighthouse keeper, Edward G. Porter, were Episcopalians. Reverend Purdue held services on the barrier island intermittently. In 1911, when two families were living on St. George, Bishop Weed landed with the rector and confirmed 19 Trinity Episcopal Church Records. Trinity Episcopal Church. Apalachicola. overseas demand for cypress and pine diminished.23 Throughout the diocese, parishes located in areas dependent on timber, such as Pensacola, Jacksonville, and Apalachicola were hurt by the economic downturn in 1914 and 1915. As the diocesan missionary funds shrank during the recession, Bishop Weed offered to cut twenty-five percent of his income to help cover the salaries of missionaries in the field.24 While the local economy would later revive as the United States prepared to enter the war, Apalachicola and Trinity suffered in the meantime. "The town, like many others in Florida," wrote Purdue in February, 1915, "is in a very depressed state that affects the church."25 By the end of the year, Trinity would no longer be able to afford the rector's salary. After eleven years, the ministry of the Rev. Thomas J. Purdue came to an end as the widowed clergyman and his daughter moved to Washington, D.C..26 Apalachicola's economy was more diverse in 1915 than it 23 Edward F. Keuchel, "A Purely Business Motive: German American Lumber Company, 1901-1918," Florida Historical Quarterly 52 (April, 1974): 388. 24 Bentley, The Episcopal Diocese of Florida. 1989. 78-79; Diocesan Journal. "Episcopal Address," 1915. 27-28. 25 "News of the Diocese," Church Herald. February, 1915. 26 Apalachicola Times, February 1, 1936. 88 at the outbreak of World War I, had the opposite effect. The close link between the solvency of Apalachicola's businesses and the well being of the town's oldest church, a prevailing tendency from 1835-1915, was once again revealed. Despite these peaks and valleys in its financial status, Trinity Episcopal Church grew in its first eighty years. Like other parishes in the Diocese of Florida, Trinity endured outbreaks of yellow fever, destructive hurricanes, and the strangling effects of the Civil War. Along with its diocese and most other southern institutions, the church also adapted to the cultural and political upheaval of Reconstruction. Immigration to the area increased diversity at Trinity as natives of Greece, Ireland, and Germany attended the church after the Civil War. Though African-Americans never were a significant presence at the church, freedman Frank Cook served on the vestry in the 1870s. Mannie Brash, son of Jewish timber manager Sol Brash, was a converted Episcopalian who became active at Trinity in the early 1900s as a member of the choir and later as a vestrymen in 1933.28 In 1916, Trinity Episcopal Church entered a new era. The church had sufficiently recovered from its earlier 28 Sawyer, "Trinity Episcopal Church, Apalachicola, Florida," 1950. BIBLIOGRAPHY PRIMARY SOURCES DIOCESAN PUBLICATIONS Diocese of Florida. Consecration of the Bishop of Florida, bound with The Journal of the Proceedings of the Annual Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the State of Florida, 1868. Jacksonville: C. Drew, 1868. .The Journal of the Proceedings of the Annual Conventions of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the State of Florida, 1839-1916. 70 vols. (The printers and places of publication are: 1839, Knowles and Hutchins, Tallahassee; 1840-1841, Clisby and Smith, Quincy; 1842, 1844, Office of The Star, Tallahassee; 1845, W. and C. J. Bartlett, Tallahassee; 1846-49, 1851-57, 1860, Office of the Florida Sentinel, Tallahassee; 1858, 1861, 1868, 1870, 1873, C. Drew, Jacksonville; 1869, American Church Press Company, New York; 1871-72, Dyke and Son, Tallahassee; 1874, 1879, Florida Union Book and Job Printing Rooms, Jacksonville; 1875-1876, John F. Trow and Son, New York; 1877-78, Press Book and Job Office, Jacksonville; 1880-1884, Ashmead Brothers, Printers, Jacksonville; 1886-86, Church and Home Office, Jacksonville; 1887, 1892-94, Dacosta Printing and Publishing House, Jacksonville; 1895-1916, Church Publishing Company, Jacksonville.) Journal of the Proceedings of the Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the State of Florida, 1867,Including the Proceedings in 1863 and 1866. Tallahassee: Office of the Floridian, 1867. Weed, Edwin Gardner, Episcopal Address, 1886-1916, bound with The Journal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the State of Florida. 1886-1916. Contact Us | Permissions | Preferences | Technical Aspects | Statistics | Internal | Privacy Policy © 2004 - 2010 University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries.All rights reserved. Acceptable Use, Copyright, and Disclaimer Statement Last updated October 10, 2010 - - mvs