Church History

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SAINT MATTHEWS EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Saint Matthews Episcopal Church began as a Sunday school in 1890 serving the spiritual needs of folks living in the then sparsely populated, isolated area known as South Hills, across the river from downtown Charleston. Episcopalians began it as an interdenominational fellowship (in order to meet in the local school). It listed about 80 members. In 1891, a bridge was built across the Kanawha River, and members of St. John’s Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston became interested in the little Sunday school on the Hill. In 1893, Saint Matthews became a mission of the diocese. That same year, six acres of property were purchased and a native stone church (60 X 25) was erected on the site. The mission achieved parish status in 1945.

In 1955, the congregation, having outgrown the little stone church, devised a long-range plan to build a larger facility. It would occur in three phases consisting of a new church, a companion education building and a new rectory. The pictures on this page are from the Building Fund Canvas brochure in support of that plan. The new church held its first services on May 29, 1960.

The present campus includes the church (refurbished in 1987); Harvey House (the 1921 rectory), where church offices are housed; the Parish House; a gymnasium built in 1924 to service the greater community; Mathes Hall, the education/fellowship building (a wing was added to the gym in 1972); cemetery and columbarium; outdoor chapel in the woods and the Payne Memorial garden (adjacent to the church) that can serve as a place for spiritual renewal as well as a place to hold receptions, weddings and other special events. The William Richard Dixon Media Center was opened in 2005.