Christ Episcopal Church Historic Chapel

The history of Christ Episcopal Church in St. Marys can be traced to a founding congregation in 1843. A church building was constructed under the supervision of Irasel Greer in 1845-46. Christ Church entered the Diocese of Georgia as a mission in 1848 and in two years had a congregation of 25.

The town of St. Marys suffered terribly during the Civil War. A Union gunboat shelled the town's riverfront. To escape the ravages of war, many of St. Marys' residents fled the county. The Federal commander Captain Thomas Wentworth Higginson ordered the burning of numerous buildings, including Christ Church, and the church was destroyed. After the war, Vestryman Francis Adam made a strong effort to get Northern aid to rebuild the church, but it wasn't until 1885 that services began anew for the congregation. The current historic chapel was consecrated in 1889.