Christ Church Episcopal

Christ Church Episcopal. Southeast Tennessee Religious Heritage Trail. The Episcopal Church was slow to start in Tennessee with the first congregation dating from 1827 and the first Bishop, James H. Otey, consecrated in 1834. At the beginning of the Civil War there were only 27 clergymen and 1500 communicants in the state. Bishop Otey died in 1865 and was replaced by Charles T. Quintard, whose administration brought great expansion of the church., On the 12th Sunday after Trinity 1868, Bishop Quintard conducted the first Episcopal services in Tracy City under a sawmill shed near the train depot. The parish met in a building called Temperance Hall until 1873, when through the efforts of three widowed sisters, Mesdames Nance, Randolph and Garner, Christ Church erected its first building. The building was the first church erected in Tracy City., The Rev. Henry Easter served Christ Church from 1891 to 1896 and during his term as priest he hand carved and assembled a new alter, Bishop's Chair, Priest chair, lectern and communion rail., In 1928 the existing structure was erected to replace the 1873 structure, which was damaged by severe windstorms. The Rev. Easter's hand carved furniture was moved to the new church and is still in use today. In 1952, The Father Adamz Parish Hall was dedicated by Bishop Barth and in 1968 during the church's Centennial Celebration a new Rectory was dedicated.