A Brief History of Christ Church, Pensacola

The history of Christ Church goes back to the year 1764, when the Bishop of London licensed the Rev. William Dawson to bring the Anglican Church to Pensacola. He was followed by two additional priests who came from England for missionary work until 1781, when the area once again came under Spanish control. When Florida became a Territory of the United States in 1821, and religious freedom was granted, the General Missionary Society of the Episcopal Church sent the Rev. Ralph Williston to Pensacola, and Christ Church was founded in 1827, chartered by the Territorial Legislature in 1829, and a church building built at Seville Square in 1832. That building still stands as the oldest church building in Florida.

The present church, a magnificent Spanish Renaissance building, was built in 1903, when the congregation moved to our present location. In 1952, a Sunday School building was built on the corner of Belmont and Palafox. In 1969, three additional buildings were constructed, including our Parish Hall. In 1975, our Gabriel Kney tracker action pipe organ was given to the parish as a thank-offering. This magnificent instrument, reputed to be one of the finest in the nation, was the impetus for a series of concerts that over the years has become a major music outreach program of the parish for the community. Music at Christ Church and our Summer Music Festival have both received national recognition and acclaim.

Beginning in 1979, we began a more organized and intensive community outreach program under the name of "Service to Others," which dispenses a significant amount of funding and assistance from the parish to individuals in need of help as well as programs, agencies, and seed money for new programs of assistance to the needy in our community.

Another area of outreach started more than 40 years ago is our Episcopal Day School, which in recent years has grown into one of the finest parochial schools in the community. Beginning with 3-year-old kindergarten, it provides a quality education through Grade 8 under the umbrella of Christ Church.

The history of Christ Church and the history of the City of Pensacola have grown side by side for almost two centuries. Christ Church was instrumental in the founding of many of the other Episcopal churches in the area, including St. John's, Warrington; St. Christopher's; St. Mary's, Milton; St. Cyprian's: St. Monica's, Cantonment; St. Francis of Assisi, Gulf Breeze; and Holy Trinity, Myrtle Grove.

Proud as we are of our past, we live in the present working for a sound and secure future. We have recently completed Project 21, a two million dollar building project for the 21st century. This project began with the purchase and remodeling of the former two-story, 26,000 square feet Broxton Furniture as the new home of Episcopal Day School, a new administrative wing and large parking lot on the Belmont Street side of our complex, and a total renovation of existing offices and the older Sunday School building as a Christian Education Center. In 1998, ready for the new school year at EDS, is the "Currin Center, " a long-awaited gymnasium and multi-purpose facility.

We try as best we can to live up to our great and glorious name .... Christ's Church.

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