Sussex in Waukesha County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church

Photographed By Paul F, July 1, 2010

1. St. Alban’s Episcopal Church Marker

Inscription. Named for English martyr and saint. The parish was organized in 1842. The first church, 1844, stood at the southwest corner of God’s Acre. The first grave was there opened in that year. The edifice was dedicated by Bishop Jackson Kemper in 1866. The crenelated tower and bell were added in 1875. It is patterned after the village church in Peasmarsh, Sussex County, England, home church of some of the founders. Nowhere can be found a finer example of the English Gothic-styled parish church of the period. The guild hall was erected in 1904.

“We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, thy holy temple.” Psalms 65:4.

Erected 1969 by Waukesha County Historical Society. (Marker Number 30-01.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Churches & Religion • Notable Buildings • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1842.

Location. 43° 8.09′ N, 88° 13.437′ W. Marker is in Sussex, Wisconsin, in Waukesha County. Marker is on Maple Avenue, 0.1 miles north of Main Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: W239 N6440 Maple Avenue, Sussex WI 53089, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the

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crow flies. First Woman in Town of Lisbon (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Sussex Mills and Bug Line RR (approx. 0.2 miles away); Zion Evangelical Cemetery (approx. ¼ mile away); George Washington Burr Oak (approx. 0.3 miles away); Mammoth Spring Hotel - Saloon (approx. ¾ mile away); Sixteen School (approx. 1.3 miles away); Town of Lisbon (approx. 1.4 miles away); Hon. Thomas Weaver Home (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sussex.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Additional commentary.
1. Additional History
In Lisbon Township, one of the first settlers was John Weaver who arrived in 1837. The Weaver family was instrumental in the formation of a church there. Traveling ministers stopped in the town periodically to preach a sermon on a Sunday. The first pastor to do this was elder Griffin in 1839.

Pioneers met in the Weaver barn during those early years. One Sunday there was a temporary choir platform above the hayloft, and it collapsed sending the choir members into the hay below.

The first minister to be hired was Elder Wheelock who was a Methodist. The church was established in October 1842. A frame structure was built first

Marker is missing, post is visible in lower right. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Jim Schaettle, February 26, 2021

2. Marker is missing, post is visible in lower right.

on a one-acre site on May 26, 1844. William Armstrong, a student of the Nashotah House Episcopal seminary, was ordained and took charge of St. Alban's until 1855.

In 1857 three more acres were purchased for the church, which now provided room for the first parsonage to be built in 1859. Weaver's quarry, now Halquist Quarry, provided the stone used for the cornerstone of the new stone church. Bishop Jackson Kemper, who was a founder of Nashotah House, was at the laying of the cornerstone on Aug. 23, 1864.

St. Alban's was named after an English saint and martyr. After all, the people in this town came from Peasmarsh, Sussex, England and brought the memory of the 1090 Norman-built stone Episcopal church they attended there. The township also became known as Sussex.

The church here was described as a substantial building of stone, English in appearance and surrounded by God's Acre (the cemetery), an old English custom. The walls were 23 inches thick giving the inside of the church very good acoustics. The building was consecrated on May 18, 1866. A bell was created in order to follow the custom of tolling the bell for the dead, which tells if you are male or female and how many years you lived. Later in 1875 the bell was mounted in the tower when it was constructed. In the 1870s the glass windows were all replaced by stained glass windows made in France and

Photographed By Paul F, July 1, 2010

3. St. Alban’s Episcopal Church Marker

Italy, which are now priceless.

— Submitted January 6, 2012, by Linda Hansen of Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 24, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 2, 2010, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,657 times since then and 106 times this year. Last updated on November 7, 2023, by Linda Hansen of Waukesha, Wisconsin. Photos: 1. submitted on July 2, 2010, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. 2. submitted on February 26, 2021, by Jim Schaettle of Madison, Wisconsin. 3. submitted on July 2, 2010, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.