Stained Glass Windows from St. James' Interior

 <> 






Historic Information

This information is gathered from "A Brief History of St. James' Parish" prepared in 1968 by Mr. F.G. Rich, and "Old St. Paul's and other Oxford County Anglican Churches" by John A. Davies

  • 1793 - 40,000 acres were set aside for settlement on the River Latranch (now called the Thames). The first white settler was Major Thomas Ingersoll, who chose the land for the community on advice from the famous Indian Chief Joseph Brant, whom he had met in New York.
  • 1834 - The first services for St. James' parish were held in the schoolhouse, somewhere near the site of Victory Memorial School. The Rev. John Rothwell was incumbent from 1834 - 1845. From 1793 until 1839 the parish was part of the Diocese of Quebec. It then became part of the Diocese of Toronto.
  • 1840 - the erection of a Church took place. The property was donated by Major Thomas Ingersoll's family. The Church building was of frame structure. Three aisles with box pews were situated in the body of the church. Collection pots with handles were used which were later replaced by plates with felt liners. A large box stove supplied the heat and a melodeon was used to accompany the singing.
  • 1845 - 1853 - The incumbent was the Rev. Henry Revell.
  • 1852 - Ingersoll was incorporated as a village and elected its first council, three of whom were members of St. James' parish.
  • 1857 - St. James' Church, Ingersoll, became part of the new Diocese of Huron.
  • 1865 - "A meeting of the congregation was held in the Church with the Rev. Canon Hincks in the chair, to take into consideration the building of a new church."
  • 1868 - At the Vestry Meeting on April 13 it was resolved..."the the Building Committee be requested to proceed with the building of a new church with as little delay as possible." On Tues. Sept. 1, 1868 the foundation stone was laid by Bishop Cronyn. Both the interior and exterior of the present Gothic edifice reflect true Gothic lines of architecture. The area of the edifice is 50 feet by 81 feet, exclusive of the tower and the chancel. The tower is 16 feet square and 95 feet in height. The cost was estimated at $9,000.
  • 1869 - The new building (our present church) was completed.
  • 1864-1877 - The Rev.Canon Hincks was incumbent


    • A Summary of Our 175th Anniversary 2009

    St. James’ Church Ingersoll 175 Years of Community Involvement

    It was an incredibly busy year at St. James’! As we look back at our celebrations for our 175th year we are thrilled with the outpouring of support we received from both parishioners and community members alike. As 2010 begins, the Parish of St. James’ Anglican Church, Ingersoll would like to take this opportunity to thank the Ingersoll and District community for their involvement and participation over the past year.

    Our official anniversary weekend was held on Sept. 19th and 20th. The BAC hosted a neighbourhood BBQ on Saturday and served up delicious picnic fare – hotdogs, hamburgers, chips, popcorn, beverages and birthday cake. The following day, prior to our church service, we had a vintage car parade with many parishioners and local politicians taking part.

    Archbishop Percy O’Driscoll conducted our service of celebration and greetings were brought on behalf of the Town of Ingersoll, the Province of Ontario, and the Government of Canada. Following the service of worship, we had a fabulous pot luck lunch organized by the ACW and a slide show presentation featuring photos of parish life. The evening concluded with a concert of song & praise followed by more treats served up by our Hospitality committee.

    As part of our 175th Anniversary celebrations we hosted a series of concerts, “Music for the Soul”, to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity, The Lunch Bunch program and the Ingersoll and District Inter-Church Relief Committee. Many talented local artists gave freely of their time for these concerts and presentations. We would like to thank the following performers: The Rockin’ Oldies, The Soulmates, Ted Comiskey, Jim Gonder, Hearts of Praise, The Empey Sisters, The Ingersoll Ministerial Association, Walter Gretzky, The Ingersoll Choral Society, Kathy Boyd, Rob Faust, Wilson McBeath, Robin Woollard, and Rick Malo. Two garage sales were also held in the spring and late summer and many of the area’s local merchants donated draw prizes and other items for the sales. Due to the generosity of everyone, we were able to raise over $5000 for our Outreach programs. Thank-you again to the Ingersoll Times and the Oxford Review newspapers  and Tillsonburg's Easy 101.3 FM for publicizing all of our activities at St. James’.

    We would also like to thank the Ingersoll Communities in Bloom committee for assisting us with our church gardens make-over in September. Through the leadership of this group, several local high school students came and participated in beautifying the church surroundings. We are looking forward to the spring of 2010 to enjoy the fruits of their labours!

    When St. James’ first opened its doors in 1834, Ingersoll was called the village of Oxford and services started in a schoolhouse near where the present Victory Memorial School stands. The first church building was a wooden frame one with its front entrance on King Street. The present Gothic style church was built on Oxford St. in 1868 with the Parish Hall being added in 1929. St. James’ has seen a lot of memorable services and events take place within its walls – baptisms, weddings, funerals, confirmations, anniversaries, concerts and celebrations. We are looking forward to providing a place of worship and community involvement for another 175 years!

    Click on our photo album below to see some pictures of our celebrations on September 20th.