History
In 1868 an itinerant missionary, the Rev. T.M. Reilly, first held an Episcopal service in the home of a local physician, Samuel Woolston. By 1871 there was enough interest to build a church. The selected site was a lovely spot on the banks of the Rancocas Creek, purchased from General John S. Irick for $1000. The cornerstone was laid September 27, 1871. The church had brown siding with a very fine slate roof and Victorian gingerbread. The chancel was not immediately completed due to lack of funds. The parish was incorporated in 1873 with 27 families, 87 individuals, 18 communicants and a church school of 30. The entire budget in 1874 was just $373.65.
At the time Vincentown was a thriving community with a large summer of population of wealthy prominent Philadelphian vacationers. In 1892 a private train brought wedding guests from Philadelphia for the wedding of George W. Childs Drexel and Mary C. Irick. Newspaper accounts of the society wedding described the church, which had been refurbished for the occasion by the Drexel family, as having a pale blue ceiling relieved by dark green fretwork underneath, and imitation marble walls. The chancel was renovated and refurbished again in 1894 for another wedding, described at the time as "one of the largest and most fashionable of the State." With changing times wealthy Philadelphians began summering elsewhere, but Trinity Church was firmly established with the local community, and the loyal congregation kept the building in repair and services constant. For a number of years the church was served principally by part-time clergy, and in 1966 the present parish house was added to the site. By the 1970s the development of new housing communities in the region brought an influx of Episcopalians and potential members to the area. As the church grew, the Vestry requested in 1977 to become an assisted parish in order to afford a full-time ministry. In 1977 a newly-ordained clergyman who had served Trinity as a seminarian, the Rev. Richard Signore, became the first full-time priest in modern times. He was succeeded by The Rev. A Donald Wiesner in 1982, followed by The Rev. Clair Connell. In 1999 the Rev. Peter A. Molnar began a dynamic 13-year ministry until his retirement. . |
Historic Vincentown
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