Twenty-five families of the Episcopal faith were living in the pioneer town of Zanesville, Ohio in 1816 when Dr. Joseph Doddridge, a doctor and an Episcopal priest, came to Zanesville. The group was organized in October 1816 as St. James Episcopal Church. The first confirmation was held May 23, 1819 and the parish incorporated in 1833.
After meeting in the Muskingum County Court House and at several other churches, the Episcopalians made plans to build on North Sixth Street. The church was built from quarried gray limestone in the Gothic style. The first service was held in the edifice on Easter Sunday, 1843.
Later a parish house was built across the rear of the church for educational classes, an office and storage. The undercroft contains the dining room and kitchen.
In 1882, the original configuration was reversed: the organ was moved from a rear gallery to the front of the chancel, the pulpit was lowered, and a large altar in the newly indented nave replaced the small side altar. The first stained glass window was installed over the altar. Through the years, eight large stained glass windows have replaced earlier windows of colored glass. The tower, erected in 1878, houses the church bells. Among more recent changes, a small elevator has been installed and the baptismal font moved from the front to a place near the entrance. Church offices and social areas of living room, dining room, and kitchen are now housed next door.
During the 190-year life of St. James' parish we have had 25 priests. The members of our church are a devoted, diverse, and caring group of people from Muskingum County and surrounding communities.
The Schultz Mansion and St. James Church
For nearly half of the past century, the Schultz Mansion served as St. James’ rectory. Many from St. James view a visit to the Schultz Mansion as a sort of “coming home”.
In 1900 William D. Schultz had the house built as a wedding present for his bride Miss Ethel Granger. Mr. Schultz was the grandson of William Schultz, the first mayor of Zanesville and founder of Schultz and Company, a soap manufacturer that was eventually sold to Proctor and Gamble. Mr. Schultz died in 1921.
Following Mrs. Schultz death in 1935, the mansion and its contents were bequeathed to St. James’ Church. The first rector to live in the house was The Reverend Duncan Weeks until his retirement in 1951. The next residents were Father and Mrs. George S. MacCallum and their family. From 1957 until his retirement in 1987, Father Jack C. Bennett, his wife Evelyn and their three sons resided in the mansion.
Although Mrs. Schultz had designated income from a trust fund for maintenance and household staff, past records show that upkeep of the 26-room house and its grounds was a constant burden to the parish. In 1988 the property and contents were sold. Mrs. Schultz’s gift now benefits the parish through St. James’ endowment fund.
Many appointments of the church itself are gifts from Mrs. Schultz. Mrs. Schultz and her brothers gave the stained glass window, The First Miracle, in memory of their mother Mary Granger. Alfred Granger gave the Mary and Martha window in his sister Ethel’s memory.
A portrait of Ethel Granger Schultz hangs at the head of the steps in St. James’ House.
The painting of the Schultz Mansion is a gift from Mrs. Jane Price to the people of St. James. It honors the heritage of this church and is a tribute to the generosity of Ethel Granger Schultz and her family.
