St. Peter's 2008 Parish Profile: View Here

While Morristown had an active Anglican community even before the Revolutionary War, a congregation calling itself St. Peter’s was not organized until 1791. Those early worshipers attended services conducted by visiting clergy and held in various places. On January 1, 1827, thirty-eight men and women gathered in the Morristown Baptist Church to draw up an Act of Incorporation for St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. One year later, the parish had called its first permanent rector, the Rev. Benjamin Holmes. Under his leadership, ground was broken in May 1828 for the original St. Peter’s Church building, the first building of stone in Morris County.

In 1840, the Rev. William Staunton came to St. Peter’s; he was informed by the Oxford Movement, which sought to renew across the Anglican Communion “high church” doctrines such as the apostolic succession, the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and the catholicity of the church. Eventually, differing preferences around these doctrines led some members to leave St. Peter’s 1852 to form a second Episcopal church in Morristown, the Church of the Redeemer. Today, both congregations are flourishing and often combine efforts on special projects, especially in the areas of local outreach and social justice

The Rev. Robert Norris Merritt was called to serve as St. Peter’s seventh rector in 1853. He remained until his death in 1895. During those years the parish achieved financial stability; it expanded and remodeled the original sanctuary in 1859, and eventually began building the church as we know it today.

By 1881, the remodeled worship space was no longer adequate for the growing congregation. Under the direction and supervision of the Rev. Wynant Vanderpool, a member of the congregation, plans were made for a new church building. The architectural firm of McKim, Meade, and White of New York was chosen for the project. Ground was broken on April 11, 1887, and the cornerstone laid that year on All Saints’ Day.

The campus was completed in four stages: the sanctuary, chapel, choir crossing, and vestries; 2) the nave; 3) the tower; and 4) the parish hall. The congregation worshipped in the chapel of the new church from 1890-1892 until the nave, built on the site of the old church, was completed. After the first two sections were finished, the rectory was built on land that had been given to the church in 1848. The tower, dedicated to Dr. Merritt, was completed in 1908. The completed church building was consecrated on November 2, 1911. In 1914, during the rectorate of the Rev. Philemon F. Sturges, the congregation built the Parish House, which was designed by Bertram Goodhue of New York and dedicated April 25, 1915.

The tower carillon, originally containing 37 bells cast in England, was dedicated April 13, 1924. Today it numbers 47 bells, many the gifts of parishioners. The Skinner organ, a gift of Robert McCurdy, was installed in 1930. Another St. Peter’s benefactor, Louisa Keasbey, designed and made many of the historic banners on display in the church. The sacristy was built in memory of Sara Ballantine Frelinghuysen. At the same time, a cloister was erected in memory of the Misses Louisa and Frances Keasbey.

During the tenure of the Rev. Dr. David Hegg II (1982 -1995), St. Peter’s undertook a major renovation of its campus, including extensive improvements to the Nave (to provide improved lighting, sound and access to the worship space) and to the Undercroft (to create a dedicated space for the Church School.) This period of renovation also included restoration of the organ and refurbishment of the carillon and the Parish House. As St. Peter’s continued to attract new parishioners, a third Sunday service was added in 1990 to serve our growing and increasingly diverse parish family.

More recently, during the tenure of the Rev. Zachary Fleetwood (1997-2003), the Vestry adopted a comprehensive Strategic Plan. The plan emphasized lay leadership grounded in the Baptismal Covenant. Three commissions were formed—Outreach, Stewardship, and Christian Formation, and steps were taken to revitalize existing committees. St. Peter’s became a Stephen Ministry Parish, affording parishioners in need the ministry of trained care-givers. New initiatives were taken to meet the needs of our youth and families as signified by calling a full-time priest dedicated this ministry. And a successful capital campaign was undertaken to support the preservation of our historic campus and provide needed improvements throughout the campus.

St. Peter's Rectory

To view the inside of the Rectory please click on the picture of the Rectory.