Historical Tour
Episcopal Church
201 East Ridge Street
Marquette, Michigan 49855
(906) 226-2912
The Tour
The tour begins at the Ridge Street entrance to St. Paul’s Church that was designed by C.F. Stark and erected in 1874.
The first church building was erected in 1856 at the same location. It was later moved to the 100 block of Ridge Street between Front and Third Streets. In 1855 the first service conducted according to the Book of Common Prayer was held in the cabin of the steamer “Planet” in port off Baraga Avenue. The chapel was erected in 1887. St. Paul’s has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The exterior of the church is Marquette brownstone and the roof is Lake Superior slate. A Celtic cross in copper tops the peak above the Ridge Street entrance.
The corner tower houses the Meneely bell, first hung from a hastily erected belfry in the churchyard and then hung in the tower of the old church building. Records show that the bell was cracked by an enthusiastic 4th of July celebrant when it was rung 400 times. The bell was recast in 1896.
Standing between the double doors that open on the nave, you will observe the Gothic style of the church’s interior. It is cruciform in shape with a deep recessed chancel. The interior is about 60 feet wide by 120 feet long, including the vestibule, transepts, and chancel. The woodwork is oak and the pews are butternut trimmed in walnut. An outstanding feature is the beamed ceiling with fine cutwork.
Use the diagram below to guide you in your tour of the church.
WEST AISLE
The Advent-Nativity window (1) was designed and made by Clayton & Bell of London and was given in memory of Dr. Douglas Houghton, first Michigan State geologist. James R. Lawrence, a local stone cutter, set it in brownstone tracery. The scenes portrayed in the window are: The Salutation, The Annunciation, The Nativity and Adoration, and The Glorification.
The church has no historical record of the pulpit (2) or baptismal font (3). The font, which was in the first church building, bears the inscription, “Suffer the Little Children.” The pulpit is Victorian in style with traditional Christian symbols.
THE CHANCEL
The altar (4) is of very fine Caen stone imported from France. The carving in the center suggests the Crown of Thorns. Within the crown, the Greek letters I.H.S., the monogram for Jesus, can be found. The marble floor and steps were installed as a fitting base for the altar. The altar was dedicated in 1928 to the Right Reverend Gersham Mott Williams (1857-1923), the first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Marquette, now the Diocese of Northern Michigan.
The Bishop’s chair (5) is placed within the partial ellipse of the chancel of the Gospel side and is adorned with Christian symbols and figures: the seal of the diocese with pine cone, canoe, beaver, and a pick and shovel; the names and figures of the gospel authors; the figures of St. Paul and Moses and one of the seal of St. Paul, crossed swords on a shield.
The cross (6) is bronze and was given to the parish by Class J of the Sunday school in 1882. It is engraved with an ivy vine and leaves, and the Greek symbol for Christ, Chi-Rho.
In the exquisite tracery of carved oak on the reredos (7), one finds the motif of the passion vine and flower symbolizing the bread and wine of Holy Communion. The panel on your left represents Christ in Gethsemane after a study by Hoffman. The Risen Christ dominates the Easter Panel on your right.
The eight figures in the reredos give us the history of our church from its founding by Christ in Jerusalem, to the founding of the Diocese of Marquette in Michigan.
The four figures immediately around the cross are the authors of the Gospels. The statues on the left and right of the panels trace the apostolic succession from St. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles and St. James the Less, brother of Our Lord and first bishop of Jerusalem, through St. David of Wales, consecrated in Jerusalem, to the first American bishop, Samuel Seabury, who was consecrated in Scotland.
The central window of the chancel (8) portrays Christ’s Ascension with the Blessed Virgin Mary and the beloved disciple, St. John, to His left and right. They were made and are signed by Charles J. Connick Associates of Boston and were given as a memorial to the children of Peter White.
Before you leave the sanctuary, turn from the altar and direct your eyes to the windows above the balcony at the back of the church.
The magnificent Rose Window (9) is also signed and from the Connick studio. It was given in memory of Stuart Miller and Carol Watson Rankin and installed in 1952. As you view the window, you will see a great cross interposed with foliated and flowering vine forms. The central circle of conventional cloud forms is enriched with the traditional symbol of St. Paul, his sword of the spirit, which is also the sword of martyrdom, and an open book inscribed, Spiritus Gladius, “sword of the spirit.”
The lectern (10), from which the scriptural lessons are read, is cast in bronze and graced with an eagle with outstretched wings, traditionally used to hold the Bible.
The “Heavenly Choir” mural (11), by Chicago artist and former Marquette resident, Alma Bigelow, echoes the musical significance of the organ on the opposite side. It balances the great organ arch and gives to the crossing of the church, the traditional plan of nave and aisle arches.
EAST AISLE
The Christian Family Window (12) was designed and signed by Charles J. Connick and installed in 1922. The lower portion of the window portrays Christ blessing the little children. The children who surround Jesus represent the eleven children of Sam and Juliet Graveraet Kaufman. The upper portion is a medallion of the Holy family centered with a representation of the Nativity, and the inscription, “For unto you is born in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord.”
To continue the tour, leave the church at the east entrance (13) where you will enter our new parish building, designed by architect Paul Bilgen and built in 1989. The new building wraps around the church on the east and north, connecting it with the Morgan White Memorial Chapel. Its most striking architectural feature is the atrium, in which you are now standing. Upon entering the atrium, one’s eyes are drawn up to the three windows set in brownstone over the doors to the church through which light flows from the skylights into the east transept.
By turning north in the atrium and walking through the connecting rooms, you will reach the Morgan White Memorial Chapel.
1 Advent-Nativity Window
2 Pulpit
3 Baptismal Font
4 Altar
5 Bishop’s chair
6 Cross
7 Reredos
8 Chancel
9 Rose Window
10 Lectern
11 Heavenly choir Mural
12 Christian Family Window
MORGAN WHITE MEMORIAL CHAPEL
Cobb and Frost of Chicago designed the chapel. The exterior wall and roof were constructed of the same materials that were used in building the church. The cornerstone for the chapel was laid on August 5, 1887 and the building was ready for Sunday school Christmas activities on December 29, of the same year.
Three local woods are used in the interior of the chapel. The ceiling is finished in oiled Norway pine, the doors and wainscoting in oak, and the floor in maple.
The purpose of the building was to provide an all-purpose center for the parish, permitting it to be used for the Sunday school, as a chapel, and as a place for social activities. It continues to fulfill that purpose today.
Upon entering the chapel, your eyes will be drawn to the great Gothic Resurrection Window that dominates the room. It is a registered Tiffany window. Some of its features are the large round opaque red sections across the bottom of the window which are known as “bull’s eyes,” and the opalescent glass, characteristic of Tiffany’s work, which is the background of the cross and the dove. This magnificent window symbolizes the Resurrection of Our Lord.
Above the empty Resurrection Cross is the descending dove, symbol of the Risen Christ and His church. The twelve sections of the medallion represent the Apostles who received the gifts of the Spirit.
The chapel altar was transferred from the sanctuary of the church when the marble altar and new railings were given to the parish.
Essers of Milwaukee made the side windows in the chapel in 1968. The small windows are symbolic of the spiritual gifts: Faith, Hope, and Charity. The larger windows portray the major milestones in the Christian’s pathway through life: baptism, confirmation, marriage, childbirth, visitation of the sick, and burial of the dead. Completing this journey is the small window containing the prayer that “We all may be one in Jesus Christ, Our Lord.”
You have now seen some of the highlights of art and memorials which were given to St. Paul’s and which enhance the rich interiors of the church and chapel as settings for the ongoing life and worship of the parish. We invite you to look more closely at the memorial plaques and the Christian symbols, which abound in glass, wood, and metal throughout both the church and chapel.
We encourage you to take a look at the symbols which are found in the upper sections of the side windows in church: the Dove of Peace, Anchor with Cross, the Tablets of the Law, the Crown, the Fish, the Shock of Wheat, the Cross with Palms, and Eucharistic Cup, the Alpha and Omega, and the Pelican piercing its breast to feed its young as a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice for his children.
We hope that you will find that those who worship here are the living witnesses of the gospel proclaimed.
If you haven’t already done so, we invite you to sign our guest book, which is located on the Memorial cabinet in the east transept of the church.
