St. James is among the oldest congregations in this part of NC. It is the oldest Episcopal Church in Iredell County. Services were held here in 1794, originally in the Mills home very near the current site. The Rev. Robert Johnson Miller, an ordained Lutheran minister at the time, held the first services here. Later in 1821, the Rev. Johnson was ordained in the Episcopal Church by Bishop Moore.
Church records show that the Rev. George Badger Wetmore was ordained in Christ Church, Raleigh early in 1855, and took charge of the Church on Feb. 17 of that year. His report to the conversion that year stated that the congregation consisted of 15 members, 10 white and 5 black. The Rev. Wetmore preached regularly once a month at St. James for over 30 years. He lived in Woodleaf in Rowan County, and at the same time preached at Christ Church, Cleveland and other churches. He travelled all over western Rowan and Iredell counties preaching in homes and schools, and baptizing children.
On Feb. 24, 1856 a parish was organized under the name of St. James. All of the original vestry except George Kerr was named Mills. In that same year contributions in the amount of $627.52 were received from Wilmington, Salisbury, and other parishes, and the current church was built.
If not for Charles N. Mills and his family, St. James could not have been formed. He came to Iredell County in the 1790’s from Maryland bringing several families with him. He was said to be very devout man, only allowing his sons to go fishing on Shrove Tuesday. He had numerous children and a visit to the cemetery will show that a great many of his descendents lived their entire lives in this area. Mr. Mills donated the land where the church was built and also the land for the cemetery around the corner on Winthrow Creek Rd.
Set in a grove of trees, St. James became Iredell County’s first Episcopal Church and remains today in the same location with most of the same furnishings. Its congregational strength has waned and strengthened, but has continued services in times of weakness and strength for more than 195 years.
The Exterior of the Church
It is believed that the round stones set in the brickwork were the foundation stones from a log building that was used for services until it burned. The white clapboard exterior was covered with brick in the 1950’s.
The church was originally white pine lap siding; sometime in the late 50’s brick veneer was applied. The round stones set in the brickwork were foundation stones from the original log cabin used as a church. A gazebo used to set off to the side, and on hot summer days benches were carried outside and the preacher preached from the gazebo. The structural lumber is all rough sawn pine.
The Interior of St. James
The interior walls are constructed of a random length of pine boards. Many of the original furnishings are still in the church. The choir loft was originally used as a seating area for slaves and servants. A pew bench from the original set from 1856 sits in front of Shinn’s Store across the street.
While in the area, visit Shinn’s store. This store was in the Shinn family from the late 1880’s until just recently. The bacon and sausage from this store is the best to be found in the area.
The Cemetery
Around the corner on Winthrow Creek Road, St. James Cemetery can be found. In this Cemetery are buried the descendants of the Mills family and any members who wished to be buried there. There are many graves marked by plain stones; these are said to have been the graves of the Mills family slaves and servants. The gates were placed in memory of P. G. Shinn, son of Glenn and Montez Shinn, who died accidently at age of 17. In earlier days, the caskets were carried from the church to the cemetery in horse drawn carts on a path through the woods to the cemetery. The path has been cleared and will soon be marked. Gates into the Cemetery and the rock wall which surrounds the original plots.
Bicentennial Celebration
St. James celebrated its Bicentennial in 1994. A committee had been formed to write a history and plan this celebration. If you want more information, please call or write to us. We are applying for Historic Church status, and registration as a national historic landmark. A history of the church will also be published.
Genealogies
If you are interested in finding information about local history, the Mooresville Public Library has The History of The Mills Family by Mamie Harbin Huston, and the Iredell County library in Statesville has many old records. Flint Norwood, the director there, was a Lay Reader at St. James for many years.
Windsor Chairs
Most folks have noticed the old Windsor chairs that sit near the doors beside the altar. These simple church furnishings have much significance for Saint James and the NC Diocese. Oral tradition claims the Mills family brought these chairs (along with a large dining room set) in the 1790’s from Maryland for their home behind our cemetery. Furthermore, Episcopal services were held in that dining room until the church was built in 1856.
How reliable is this ancient oral tradition? A few years ago, the chairs were examined by three experts of 18th century furniture, which yielded surprising results. The experts from the Museum of Southern Decorative Arts in Winston- Salem, Latta Plantation in Mecklenburg County, and Historic Brattenville agreed on several points. First, the chairs were crafted between 1790 and 1810 in N.C., not Maryland (which makes them extremely rare). They are often called “bamboo” style because of the shape of the spindles. Last, they were probably made by the Feemster Brothers, who built furniture during that era in the Charlotte area (The large “ears” at the chair tops are distinctive of their work).
If all this is true, every bishop of North Carolina has either sat in or come in contact with these chairs! Some years ago, Latta Plantation decided these chairs were exceptional examples of Windsor chairs of that period and made reproductions, since the original owners of Latta had such chairs in the home. They not only have played a major role in the 220-year history of Saint James, but the history of our diocese.
St. James Episcopal Church 