Built 1896 Phone +1 850-892-9754 Added to NRHP 28 August 1992 | Opened 1896 Architectural style Carpenter Gothic | |
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Location 144 Circle Drive
DeFuniak Springs, Florida, Part of DeFuniak Springs Historic District (#92001048) Address 144 Circle Dr, Defuniak Springs, FL 32435, USA Similar Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood, Walton County Heritage, Lake DeFuniak, Sacred Heart Hospital, Westland Mall | ||
St. Agatha's Episcopal Church is a historic Carpenter Gothic Episcopal church located at 144 Circle Drive, in DeFuniak Springs, Florida in the United States. It is a contributing property in the DeFuniak Springs Historic District.
History
In the late 1880s, the Rt. Rev. Edwin G. Weed, third bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, found three families of Episcopalians when he visited DeFuniak Springs and from that nucleus St. Agatha's was born. The first baptism was in 1890 in a private home. Construction of the church building began in 1895. At Easter when the women of the mission wanted services in the unfinished church they asked the men of the church to read Morning Prayer. The men refused stating that the church had not yet been consecrated and no men in the parish had yet been licensed as lay readers to conduct services. The women took matters into their own hands. They decked the lath that was awaiting plaster with flowers and greenery from floor to ceiling. They proceeded to read Morning Prayer. This was long before women became eligible to be licensed as lay readers. The church has the only pure pipe organ in the county. It was hand built by a parishioner and completed in 1990.
Over the years, the building deteriorated and some repairs were made. Vinyl siding was added to avoid high painting costs. However some of the wood underneath the vinyl rotted. The rains eroded the foundation and the leaded glass windows began to bow. From 2000 to 2007, with the help of matching grants from the state Bureau of Historic Preservation, St. Agatha's was able to restore its original exterior. Independently they made other repairs needed to restore the church interior and Parish House. The church was rededicated on December 9, 2007. St. Agatha's has had few full-time priests. The attendance is only around 30-40 people. It is still a functioning organized mission in the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast.