St. Anne's History

Before this quaint gothic church was built, Episcopal services were first held in Anna in the Reformed Church during 1880, and in the Lutheran Church during 1882. In the spring of 1883, semi-monthly services were held by the Rev. J.B. HARRISON from Carbondale in the "so-called" Temperance Hall on Main St. (from History of Alexander Union and Pulaski Counties, Perrin, 1883)

St. Anne's was organized in 1883 by Dr. WARDNER, Mr. and Mrs. BOUTON, (Mrs. BOUTON was Alice ALDEN) and Mr. James DICKENSON. Dr. WARDNER was Superintendent of the Southern Illinois Insane Asylum, Mr. BOUTON, publisher of a semi-weekly agricultural journal (Farmer and Fruit Grower) and Mr. DICKENSON operated a General Store and was also apprenetly a sometime contractor. (from Anna's Centennial History, 1954)

Bishop George F. SEYMOUR, first Bishop of Springfield, recognized the congregation as an official Mission of the Diocese, May 4, 1886. The church contract was let to Mr. James DICKENSON to be built of native fieldstone, cost to be $600.00. The 37 feet of land on which the church stands was purchased from a Mrs. Elizabeth SHANNON, an early parishioner, for the sum of @225.00 and the corner stone was laid in the year 1886. The mortgage on the church was paid off on August 19th, 1889.

The pews were hand made by the men of the parish and along with the original lectern, baptismal font and bishop's chair were still in use throughout the life of the church. Heat was at first furnished by two coal stoves and the lights were hanging oil lamps. The hand turned bell which first was placed in a tower on the southeast corner of the church was a gift from St. Anne's Guild of the Church of the Transfiguration in New York and made by the H. Y. Stukstede Bell Co. of St. Louis, Missouri in 1895.

The church was non-operational at different periods for varying lengths of time. These dates are difficult to pin down as earlier church records were not kept or have been lost. During the early years the church was served by "circuit riding" priests who came from Carbondale or Cairo. The late Mrs. Lynne SIFFORD, who was Mr. ROY's daughter, recalled that before the automobile became generally popular, the priest traveled by train to Anna for the service, usually staying over for dinner with the ROYs and then catching the next available train back home. Mrs. SIFFORD remembered her father had to get up very early for services in the wintertime in order to fire up the stoves and have the building warm. Later a false ceiling was installed to help retain the heat (otherwise it rose right up into the peaked roof).

From 1892 until 1960, Anna was connected with two or three other mission stations. In the August 1924 issue of the Springfield Churchman, there appears a story that work at Anna has been formally re-opened, in the presence of Bishop John Chandler WHITE, fourth Bishop of Springfield, with Father SCHUART of St. Andrew's of Carbondale officiating. As late as 1929, services were held in a communicant's home because of the age of the original Gothic building. In 1930 Bishop WHITE provided funds for restoration and renovation of the old structure. Father SCHUART was followed by Father DICKSEN> Father HAGEN then came once a month to hold Communion Service. He recommended that St. Anne's church have service each Sunday with a Lay Reader to be paid $5.00 each service. Father Gregory FOWLEY of St. Andrew's Carbondale was to have Communion Service starting July 1st, 1947. Dr. LARSON and William CONLEY were Lay Readers. A Church School was held at 10:30 with study class, Faith and Practice. In the May 1948 issue of the Churchman, revival of work at Anna was noted, after several dormant years with only one service a month attneded by three or four persons at most.

In 1948, St. Anne's became more active due to an increase in membership. In January of 1948, a business meeting was held at Stinson Memorial Library. Officers elected were: George B. HALL, Senior Warden, David William DAVIS, Jr. Warden, Mrs. Virginia STEAGALA, Secretary, Mr. J.W. ROY, Treasurer, Mrs. Annette VAUGHN, Clerk, Mrs. Laura PARKMAN, Chairman of Altar. The Altar Frontals were cleaned, the white one fell to pieces. Mrs. PARKMAN purchased material and made all new ones which were dedicated Easter Sunday by Father ROWLEY March 28, 1948. On June 16, 1948, the women of four missions under Father Wm. COWLES - those of Carbondale, Marion, Chester and Anna - met in Carbondale to form an auxiliary group consisting of the guilds from all four churches. On July 11, 1948, a picnic at Twin Springs was held for members of St. Andrew's, Carbondale, St. Mark's, Marion, and St. Anne's. Mr. and Mrs. George HALL hosted the basket dinner. Mrs. Laura PARKMAN, one of St. Anne's earlier members served several terms as President of the Guild and was also historiographer untl her death in 1972. She passed the material to Mrs. Charles K. KOVACH shortly before her last illness. Mrs. PARKMAN also sewed many of the Altar linens and vestments used by St. Anne's. Under Rev. Wm. COWLES in 1949, the church was remodeled. A gift check of $25.00 was received from D. W. DAVIES. The altar was moved forward and lowered to enlarge the Sacristy. The stoves were replaced with oil heaters and new electric lights installed.

On Sunday, November 1, 1948, a class of five were confirmed at St. Anne's. Those confirmed were Henry GRUNDMAN, Helen Alden GRUNDMAN, Ray VAUGHN, Annette VAUGHN, and Barbara Ann TREECE. Twenty-eight members and guests were present.

In July 1952, a furnace fund was started and a new gas furnace replaced the oil heaters. The false ceiling was torn out, greatly enhancing the appearance of the interior. In 1953, the church was re-roofed.

For the Centennial Celebration in 1954, St. Anne's was included in the tour of historical interest as representing Anna's oldest original church building.

Mr. J.W. ROY, a long time parishioner served as custodian and also as treasurer for many years. When he died in 1957 (age 99 years) a memorial of $1,000.00 was given in his name and was spent renovating and tightening the structure of the building.

On December 8, 1960, eight candidates were admitted in full fellowship with the church through Confirmation. They were: Nancy Clare ARNOLD, Hobart Daniel BRIDGEMAN, Rodney Lamont KEE, Charles Ronald KOVACH, James McEVERS(Presented by St. Andrew's Carbondale), June Elizabether LAWLER, Kenneth Elbert LAWLER, and Sally Jo WRIGHT. The Rev. Charles A. CLOUGH officiated.

In August 1961, under supervision of the Rev. Donald BELL, the Altar was elevated and the Sanctuary was moved back to its original position. The work was completed by Rev. Fredrick NORMAN in 1963. A new altar was given to the Church by the then Senior Warden, Mr. Jack LEWIS, Jr. and his wife, Sheila. A red velvet Dosell was obtained through the offices of Mrs. HARRIS, mother of the Rev. John W. HARRIS, at that time Vicar of St. Andrews, Carbondale. The Christus Rex was a thanks-giving gift from Mr. Charles KOVACH and wife, Doris (for the complete recovery from severe burns charles suffered in a fire at the Trojan Powder Co. in Wolf Lake, Illinois)

During the 1960's, the Ladies Altar Guild provided the money for the red carpet, which was laid in the Sanctuary from the Communion Rail, and on the Altar rsstrum. They also gave money for the built-in cabinet drawers in the Sacristy used for storing vestments.

The red carpet runner from the front door to and in front of the Chancel was a gift from Mr. and Mrs. George HALL. This replaced reed runners which were formerly a gift of George and Mame HALL, as was the old square walnut tabernacle which was in use before the round gold tabernacle was acquired. The new tabernacle was a gift from a parishioner from St. Andrew's, Carbondale. during the summer of 1968, Doyle and Bill GRAHAM, builders from Jonesboro reparied the windows (glazed, recaulked, and weather-stripped) at no charge to St. Anne's. (This is not intended to be considered a complete list of gifts and services to St. Anne's. Unfortunately, a complete record was not kept or has been lost.)

The Bishop's Committee of 1965 was: Dr. Jacob VERDUIN, Rt. 1, Cobden, Botany Professor at SIU, Senior Warden; Mr. Kenneth LAWLER, 706 N. Main St., Jonesboro, Junior Warde, operates alcoholism rehabilitation program at Anna State Hospital; Atty. R. Corydon FINCH, 611 S. Main, Anna; Mr. Charles KOVACH, Cobden, Treasurer, assistant manager for explosive manufacturing firm; Mrs. Doris KOVACH, as above, President of Women's Auxiliary, Secretary; and Mr. Russell OGG, Unity, IL., U.S. Dept. of Agriculture area representative checking weights and standard in 21 counties of Southern Illinois. At this time there were 25 communicants, 15 families, 30 baptized. Physical repairs from June 1, 1965 were: outside rails, floor underpinned, sacristy got new roof and repainting, rear flue blocked and plaster reparied throughout. Needs mentioned were some kind of parish hall, not to mention running water and rest room facilities in the building. Confirmed four: J.W. MANGANO, Rodney and Patti POWELL, and Brian KOVACH. Children's class on Saturday, September through April; adult classes in Lent and Sunday breakfast/discussions at vicarage most of the year. Cord FINCH and Jake VERDUIN became lay readers.

The church purchased the old PARKS house next door in 1966, to use as a vicarage during the time when priests were being provided under the Chaplaincy program at the Anna State Hospital and was the only time St. Anne's has had the relatively full time services of resident priests. Priests who served under this program were Fathers Carlyle MEACHAM, T. Larison PHILLIPS and Ben HUNTER. This program was discontinued in 1970. During this time, Dr. Jacob VERDUIN and his wife, Beth paid to have the house repainted. The house was sold (sometime in the 1970's) as the upkeep was proving a drain on the already dwindling congregation.

The last report for the church was by the Rev. Thomas L. PHILLIPS, chaplain at SIU, Carbondale, in 1976 and was for 12 communicants. On April 3rd, 1977, during Bishop A. HILLESTAD's annual visitation, he announced that St. Anne's would be permanently closed as of June 1, 1977 due to the steady decline of membership and rising costs of operation and maintenance.

A de-sanctification service was held Sunday, May 19th, 1977, with Bishop HILLESTAD officiating and Fathers HALLETT and PHILLIPS of St. Andrew's of Carbondale and Father HOLLY of St. Mark's, Marion also present. The building and lot were sold to Frank and Linda LAFOON, neighbors in the house to the west, which had been built between the church and the PHILLIPS' home sometime in the 1920's.

The 400-pound bell was installed at Trinity Episcopal Church in Jacksonville as part of Trinity's 150th anniversary celebration in 1982. The bell, which is four feet high and nearly three feet in diameter, was to have been rung 150 times on August 11th. Trinity was founded August 11, 1832 and is the oldest Episcopal parish in Illinois.

Furnishing went to the church in Marion and St. Andrew's in Carbondale. St. Andrew's has a small chapel named in St. Anne's honor. It includes several pews and kneelers, the baptismal font, and the Christus Rex Cross given by the KOVACHs.