All Saints Episcopal Church (Appleton, Wisconsin)

All Saints Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church in Appleton, Wisconsin. A parish in the Diocese of Fond du Lac, it is the only Episcopal church in Appleton. The congregation first met circa 1854 and organized in 1856. The current church building was consecrated in 1905.HistoryMissionary bishop Jackson Kemper held the first Episcopal service in Appleton in "1854 or 1855". The parish was organized in 1856, and originally named Grace Episcopal Church. The first church building's cornerstone was laid by Bishop Kemper in 1864 and was completed in 1866. The wooden structure cost $6,000 and was located at Appleton and Edwards (now Washington) streets. In 1883, the original building was moved to the current church site at College Avenue and Drew Street, adjacent to Lawrence University.In 1905, that building was moved across the street while the current church building was constructed on the site. In 1905, the name of the parish was changed to All Saints Episcopal Church. An estimated 1,500 to 2,000 people attended the cornerstone-laying service, presided over by Bishop Charles Chapman Grafton, on October 1, 1905. The first service in the completed building was celebrated on Easter Sunday, April 15, 1906. Bishop Reginald Heber Weller preached; the Rev. S. P. Delany was rector.At 3:50 a.m., November 30, 1949, a taxi driver reported that a fire had broken out at All Saints. The fire started in the basement and burned through the floor, causing the altar to fall into the basement and charring the rest of the interior of the church. The altar, which was fairly new, the reredos, the organ, the carved choir stalls, a Tiffany window, and the bishop's chair were destroyed, but the baptistry was spared. Vestments and other fabrics were smoke-damaged. The total loss was estimated at $75,000. The interior of the church dates from 1950, rebuilt after the fire. Bishop Harwood Sturtevant officially rededicated All Saints with special services featuring a new organ on All Saints Sunday 1952.