St. Paul's is celebrating 150 years of history in 2018.  Our team of volunteers is combing the archives for more of the story of St. Paul's church in Carondelet.

Early Years

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church began as a mission Sunday School in 1866. The formative meeting of the church body, in which officers and vestrymen were elected, was held in August of 1868. The church began meeting in the Blow School and then Lafayette Hall until the original building could be completed. Located near the intersection of present-day Minnesota Avenue and Soper Street, it was built on a plot of land donated by Henry T. Blow, a prominent Carondelet industrialist ,US Ambassador, and Congressional Representative. St. Paul’s was issued its document of incorporation on January 12, 1871.

After the Louisiana Purchase raised questions about land ownership (the real land owners lived in Baltimore and demanded an unreasonable price), the church moved to its current location on Michigan Ave in 1890. Still, in the early 1900s, Rev. Fred Gowenlock had the trouble of persuading another land owner to relinquish a former French claim that cut across the church property. Rev. Gowenlock was also responsible for selecting the architecture of the current building, with the cornerstone being laid in 1911. The building cost $14,000, double what had been budgeted. The church was cleared of debt in 1924 and consecrated by the bishop in 1925.