St. Agatha’s Episcopal Church

St. Agatha’s Episcopal Church. The Florida Chautauqua Resort/Campus. The Florida Chautauqua resort/campus offered instructional activities supported by the four pillars of Chautauqua: Art, Education, Recreation, and Religion. In other words, whatever activity you wished to engage in as a resort guest was within one of these four categories. Churches, like St. Agatha's Episcopal Church, played a significant role on these once-gated grounds in promoting religious programming, courses, and vespers to help guests find spiritual renewal during their resort campus stay. Leaders encouraged or facilitated the construction of four churches of different faiths to accommodate resort guests seeking spiritual renewal Methodists, Baptists, Episcopalians, and Presbyterians. , , Construction of this church building began in 1895, ten years after the resort/campus opened, on this plat donated to the congregation by WD. Chipley, a founding member of the Florida Chautauqua Association. Kenneth Bruce, president of the Florida Chautauqua from 1914 to 1916, and wife Laura donated the stained-glass window in the front of the church in honor of Laura's parents. , , This is the only church structure on these grounds still standing in its original frame. The tower was added in 1914 to accommodate the stained glass window in the front of the church. , (caption) , Inside St. Agatha's Episcopal Church circa 1909 during the Florida Chautauqua era. Kenneth Bruce, vestryman at the time, is believed to have organized the boys choir for a Chautauqua event. The altar window, the baptismal font, and the lectern are still in the church.