St. James Episcopal Church

The Rev. Daniel Stephens arrived in Bolivar in the year 1834. His purpose was to organize a congregation in Bolivar. He held services in the courthouse that was cold in the winter and without seating, in addition he had to compete with other preachers for space. In a letter to Bishop Otey in 1834 he wrote, "Our population is of a singular kind although intelligent. They have hitherto not been in the habit of going to hear any kind of preaching, neither men nor women and on certain occasion some of the ladies said they would rather go to a dress ball than to here old Stephens read." 
The Rev. Stephens persevered and realized his goal on April 17, 1834 when St. James Parish was officially organized. The Rt. Rev. James H. Otey presided at the dedication and the following persons were appointed to serve as the first vestrymen:
William B. Turley
Calvin Jones
James J. Williams
John Bills
W.H. Wood
Pitzer Miller
David T. Brown
Allen Hill
Thomas C. Jones
W.W. Bomer

In 1840 a lot was purchased at the corner of Washington and Lafayette Street for $175.00 and a contract was signed with John Shepherd to erect a brick building 32x44 ft at the cost of $375.00. When the annual convention met in Bolivar in 1842, the church exterior had been completed. It took several more years for the interior to be completed and the church was finally consecrated in June of 1846. 

In time it was decided that  St. James needed to expand and a new building was built on the same site in 1869 by Willis and Sloan. The building is of Gothic  architecture designed by Mr. Fletcher Sloan. He designed many southern churches and courthouses including the ones in Bolivar, Holly Springs and Oxford, Mississippi. There are memorial windows  for the Rev. Daniel Stephens, Ann McNeal, Pitzer Miller, and General Otho French Strahl and his aide Lieutenant John Henry Marsh. The memorial window for General Strahl and Lieutenant Marsh, both killed in the Battle of Franklin, TN in 1864, was given by Bishop Charles T. Quintard. During the Civil War the  Rev.Dr. Quintard served as a chaplain in the Confederate Army and had been given a very fine horse by General Strahl. After the war, Dr. Quintard became Bishop of Tennessee, sold the horse and donated the money to St. James Parish for the window.