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Episcopal presence in El Dorado dates back to 1849
By Shannon Curtman
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church has been serving the spiritual needs of El Dorado residents for over 150 years.
According to the book “History of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church 1849-1989” by Ellene Ericson Richardson, the fledgling Episcopalian community in El Dorado was first visited in 1849 by Bishop George Washington Freeman, second Missionary Bishop of the Southwest.
Bishop Freeman was a helpful organizing force in the congregation’s early development. Following his arrival in Union County, he preached sermons, cel- ebrated Holy Communion, and performed baptisms and confirmations. By the time of his departure, he had boosted the Episcopalian presence in El Dorado to 14 souls.
Today, there are approximately 300 communicants at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. However, it would take significant time and effort for the Episcopalian community in El Dorado to reach that size.
St. Mary’s founding priest, the Rev. William Cummins Stout, arrived soon after Bishop Freeman’s visit. The Episcopal congregations of El Dorado and Camden worked together, and by 1850, had garnered sufficient funding to begin planning the construction of a church building.
A small frame church was erected, but the Civil War years exerted a major toll not only upon Arkansas res- idents, but on the state’s churches and congregations. In addition to the loss of human life, the Civil War
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also left many buildings, including houses of worship, destroyed or falling into serious disrepair.
The original St. Mary’s building had become suf-
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ficiently dilapidated by the 1870s that some feared it might collapse altogether. Those fears were later realized when a severe storm struck Union County. By 1900, the building was no longer standing.
The Episcopalians of El Dorado continued holding services in private homes until funding had been amassed for construction of the second St. Mary’s building in 1916. The Women’s Guild played a signif- icant role in the fundraising efforts, generating reve- nue by hosting church bazaars and other events.
The Union County oil boom of the 1920s provided a welcome relief from the hardships of World War I, and was beneficial for local residents and churches alike. By 1922, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church shifted from being a mission to a self-supporting parish.
The Great Depression was a trying time for local residents and congregations. St. Mary’s Church, then numbering around 60 members, struggled fiscally, yet managed to persevere. The congregation expanded throughout the 1930s, boosting membership to rough- ly 150 parishioners.
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, after having endured not only the Civil War, but the Great Depression and two world wars, took a major step forward in 1949 when ground was broken for a new church building on Champagnolle Road, where it is still located today.
The stone structure was dedicated on Palm Sunday of 1950. Its construction made use of many Arkansas building products, including locally milled lumber, Clarksville stone, Batesville marble and furnishings from Little Rock.
See EPISCOPAL, Page 4
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