Holy Comforter Episcopal Church - Montgomery, Alabama - This Old Church on Waymarking.com

The Church of the Holy Comforter Episcopal Church was originally organized by Civil War refugees from Christ Church in Pensacola, Florida, in 1864. It went dormant after the war but was reorganized by the remaining vestry members in 1885. They purchased a lot on Root Street, now South Goldthwaite Street, in 1886 and built a church building which was paid for by 1887. The church was consecrated by Bishop Wilmer of Alabama on June 15, 1887. With the growth in population after World War Two. the parish decided to move to a new part of Montgomery in the late 1950s. They purchased property and moved from South Goldthwaite Street to their current location in 1960 when the current church was built.

One interesting feature of the church building the congregation built is that they designed it to resemble the old church building enough so they could bring the stained glass windows, the reredos, and other furnishings with them. In researching the history, I found that one of the vestrymen who was instrumental in reviving the parish was Samuel Goode Jones, to whom the baptismal font is dedicated, and who may have been the father of Thomas Goode Jones, the Governor of Alabama in the 1890s. The wood altar and reredos was designed and carved by Mr. Silas McBee of Monteagle, Tennessee. It was the gift of St. Mary's Guild and friends in honor of Bishop Samuel Smith Harris, who was the Bishop of Michigan. My source for the history was "Half a Century -- and more" by Lucharlle Clayton Wilson, published in Montgomery in 1940 and found in the Rare Books Collection of the Montgomery Public Library (RARE/283/Wil).

After the congregation left the Goldthwaite property, it was renovated and used by a local amateur theater group, the Little Theater, for many years. After they left in the early 1990s, the property was turned over to the Jubilee Community Center.

Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 01/01/1886 Age of Church building determined by?: Other reliable source If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Episcopal Street address of Church: 432 South Goldthwaite Street Montgomery, Alabama USA 36104 Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link] If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: Not listed If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Not listed Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: Not Listed Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: Not listed

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