The Washington herald., 1920-08-21
Epiphany Protestant Episcopal Church Stands
As Monument to Life Work OF Heroic Pastors
Famous Structure Used as
Army Hospital During
Civil War and Later Be-
came Religious Home of
Celebrated People While
In Washington.

!
of worship is the Protestant Epis-
copaI Church of the Epiphany. 1917
/ C street northwest
The present G street structure
was begun in 1874. two years after
the church was organized. For sew
eral months the founders, of whom
/ the entire congregation was at that
/ time composed. gathered in impro-
vised halls to conduct services,
stopping on the street corners
thereafter to discuss plans for the
! establishment OF the institution
upon a permanent basis.
/ An adequate sum of money was
soon raised by the parishioners,
and the corner stone of the building
was laid with appropriate cere-
mony in 1914. Three years later
the church was c0nsecrated and the
Rev. DR.. Hall came to the District
/ to take charge of affairs.
For several years following DR..
Halls advent the church enjoyed
one of its most prosperous periods.
He was a well known Churchman
and his followers steadily increased
until he was ordained Bishop of
Maryland and left the Washington
institution to take up the duties Of
| his higher office.
! All of the local churches were
taken over by the government dur
/ ing the civil war and Epiphany
was one of the first. The interior
was entirely made over. 1t was
/ filled with cots and for months it
was crowded to the doors with
.
relatives.
/ When the conflict terminated it
was entirely refurnished and i'm
proved. Many SOutherners. who
came to Washington during the
war. continued their attendance at
Epiphany and until a few years ago
innumerable prayer books. brought
/ by the people from south of the
Potomac and left in the racks,
were still in use at the institution.
DR.. Hall was succeeded by the
Rev. Paret and he in turn by the
Rev. Dr. Samuel H. Giesy. Dr..
Giesys regime was suddenly ended
in 1888 by his death with pneu-
monia The assistants conducted
the services until the following
year when the late Rev. DR.. r. H.
! McKim was called in from Trinity
{ Church. New Orleans. To the WORK
of Epiphany the glorious days that
remained of his life were given.
To all Washingtonians is known
the work of the greatest presbyter
in the Protestant Episcopal Church
OF America" Until his death July
Is last. he made his influence felt
in no uncertain way in the affairs
! Of the diocese. He was for a long
Z time a member of the standing com
mittee. being its chairman for
seventeen years In that capacity
he was the acting head Of the dio-
cese during the interim between
the death of Bishop Satterlee and
the conservation of Bishop Harding.
To him, as to no other, can be
attributed the estimable standing in
the community which Epiphany en-
joys. His militant spirit was per-
-haps shown best by the courage he
manifested in the expression of his
opinions.
This is illustrated by an incident
which occurred during the recent
war. A prominent member of the
/ German Embassy was to be married
in the G Street Church one We'd
ncsday in the latter part OF 1916.
The Sunday preceding, DR.. McKim
in his sermon, denounced the ruth
less policies Of the German empire
with the result that the wedding
was quietly postponed until arrange
ments could be made to hold it in
another church.
Since DR.. McKim's death the serv-
ices have been conducted by his able
assistants. They are the Rev. Percy
+. Hall, the Rev. Edward H. Ingle
and the Rev. r. z. Browning. The
latter, at present, is the acting
pastor.
The vestry is composed Of the
following.
Col. George Truesdale. senior
warden; DR.. A. r. Shands. junior
warden: Nathaniel Wilson. c. n. Os-
good, Admiral NJ. T. Endicott. r. W.
Hynson, DR.. VI. F. Finley, Gen. S.
T. AnselL J. A. Schofeld and NJ. o.
Chance. w. W. Scott is registrar
and c. E. Howe, treasurer.