St. James: History: Introduction

St. James sometimes seems like one of Simcoe's Grand Old churches. No one living can recall when it wasn't standing. But it wasn't always so old, wasn't United, wasn't always St. James. This is our look back, back to 1990, 1890, and before. In fact, we start in 1790. Come explore a time when members held other beliefs, when we had another name, and share the journey to present time.

Thankfully, others recorded our history along the way. Henry Smith Johnson wrote the first known history of St. James in the 1930s. Cliff Walmsley, Harold Pond and Bell Pond updated that effort in 1961. Dr. Keith MacIntosh extended those efforts in 1986. Our online review relies heavily on those building blocks and extends our history once again.

St. James History is still being written. We invite everyone to participate. We have established a section called Memories for just that purpose. Those with stories and photos to share are invited to email our webmaster or contact the church office.