St. Luke's Episcopal Church (Buffalo, Wyoming)
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St. Luke's Episcopal Church | |
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| Location | 178 S. Main, Buffalo, Wyoming |
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| Coordinates | 44°20′40″N 106°41′53″W / 44.34444°N 106.69806°W |
| Area | 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) |
| Built | 1889 |
| Architect | Hutton, Thomas |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001953[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 7, 1976 |
St. Luke's Episcopal Church is a historic church at 178 South Main Street in Buffalo, Wyoming, United States. It was built in 1889 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
St. Luke's Episcopal Church, as well as several other early Buffalo churches, had its beginning in the Sunday School which was held in the local schoolhouse in 1883. In 1884, Bishop John Spalding organized an Episcopal mission developed into the congregation. The first service was held in a private home in September 1884, and a group of wardens was chosen. Other services were held at the schoolhouse, and at a local hotel. Chaplain G.W. Simpson from Fort McKinney held services every Sunday at three o'clock. The first resident minister, Reverend F.C. Elred, served from 1887 to 1891.[2]
Church building
In 1888, the congregation decided to build a church on Main Street, and acquired several city lots. The deeds were recorded on October 31, 1888. The cornerstone was laid in 1889. A local woman described the new building:
"St. Luke's Church was built of red brick, the bricks made and burned in the brickyards of Curran Brothers. Its builder was Thomas Hutton, an ardent churchman as well as an artisan. The style of St. Luke's is Gothic It is considered the most perfect form of Gothic in the state. People from far and wide have stopped while passing through to study the architecture. The furniture of the chancel, the altar, and hangings were given by the Vanderbilit family of New York. This is the history of the gift. As you know, the officers of Fort McKinney helped to start St. Luke's. A young man, a Lieutenant Webb, was related to the Vanderbilt family. He knew that he could get the financial aid to buy the chancel furnishings. He wrote to New York with splendid results. The massive beams in the ceiling of the church were hewn in the sawmill of Martin Woodard who had his mill in the forests of the Big Horns. They were brought down from the mountains over steep and rugged roads by 'Yorkie' Waters who had a large freighting outfit."[2]
