St. George's Episcopal Church (Le Mars, Iowa)

St. George’s Episcopal Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	400 1st Ave., SE. Le Mars, Iowa
Coordinates
Area	less than one acre
Built	1881
Architectural style	Carpenter Gothic
NRHP Reference #	76000797
Added to NRHP	November 21, 1976

St. George's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal Church building located in Le Mars, Iowa, United States. Designed in the Carpenter Gothic style of architecture, the church building was erected in 1881. On November 21, 1976 St. George's was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

British men were sent to the Le Mars area to study farming in the late 19th-century. Over the years over 1,000 people would settle here as a part of this program. In order to serve their spiritual needs Grace Mission was established in 1872. Its first building was located at 5th and Hubbard Streets, now 1st Street SW and 5th Avenue SW. They later moved to the Apollo Hall.

The congregation reorganized itself as St. George’s Church on October 4, 1881. The present church building was completed the same year for about $3,200. The money was sent from England to build the church. It was consecrated on June 9, 1882. The parish hall was built in 1963 and housed St. George’s Preschool. St. George's Episcopal Church is still an active parish in the Diocese of Iowa.

Architecture

The church building is built over a limestone foundation, and utilizes a unique board and batten border just below the horizontal clapboard. There are narrow hoods over the Gothic arched windows. The double-hung windows feature various designs of colored glass. The windows on the south side contain unique cut glass. The lancet arch over each window is pressed glass. There was formerly an entrance tower on the main façade. It was removed in the 1940s due to water leaks. The wooden exterior steps feature railings that were reproduced in the early 1990s to mimic the early banisters. The pews on the inside are original to the church. The altar is similar in appearance to the original and the pulpit dates from 1892.

External links

• Waymarking listing
• Archiplanet Listing
• Janine Calsbeek, A small Episcopal church grows in Orange City, Sioux County Capital-Democrat March 8, 2008 tells the story of an Orange City, Iowa parish which grew out of St. George's.
• flickr 1994 Confirmation, St. George's Episcopal Church, Le Mars, Iowa