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The history of Saint James Brethren Church began
before an actual church building was erected. In 1885, Reverend J.D. McFaden
came The Fountain Rock School served as the first house of worship for the body of believers That would become the Saint James Church. The brick country school house on the south side of the road at the west end of the village has since been turned into a private residence and is the home of the Melvin Shank family, Saint James Brethren Church parishioners. As the Sunday School flourished, it became evident that a church building was needed and plans for a construction project were established. A building site was obtained on the north side of the road in Saint James. Land records of Washington County state that a tract of land, part of Conococheague Manor, was purchased by the Brethren Church of Washington County from Frisby Hildebrand and his wife Margaret for the sum of forty-five dollars. The deed was dated August 7, 1886. The original lot, forty square perches in size, is the southwest corner of present-day church property and lies adjacent to the farm lane leading north behind the church. The Church parking lot occupies the space today. The original church building was built between August and December of 1886 and was dedicated on Christmas Day that year. The weather-boarded frame structure with a metal roof was built on a stone foundation and had no basement. It was a building of simple, basic design with an entrance foyer inset on the south wall or front of the church. Plain glass windows were used and were symetrically located, one on either side of the center front door and three on each side wall. In addition, there was a round window high above the front door under the eaves of the roof. There was no steeple or bell tower. The cost for the entire original structure was one-thousand five hundred dollars! Through the years, changes and additions were made to the original church building; however, the basic design remained throughout the building's existence. Installation of electricity in the Church was an early, major improvement; however, an installation date is unknown at this time. In 1922, services at the Woburn Church, a mission point of Saint James, were discontinued and the building was dismantled. Lumber from the Woburn building was used to erect a Sunday School room on the north or back end of the sanctuary. In the late 1930's, a central heating plant was installed in the church. A space under the church was dug out to build a furnace room to accommodate the installation. The 1940's brought further improvements. The Loyal Ladies Sunday School Class initiated projects to replace the plain windows in the sanctuary with stained glass and install carpet in the aisle and the front of the sanctuary. The Church shared in undertaking these projects and both were accomplished. The present church sanctuary windows are the same windows that were originally installed in the first church. The 1950's brought about the most extensive improvements to the original church building. Some time before, the Boys Brotherhood suggested a basement be built under the church. A fund was started and kept for this specific project. A building committee was established in March 1952 with Mr. James Norris serving as chairman. Mr. Norris drew up many plans for the construction project and ground was broken on January 15, 1953. Bester and Long Company of Hagerstown was the general contractor. A basement was excavated under the entire building. Twelve-inch concrete footings were built. This was done to facilitate brick-casing the entire building if at some point in the future it would be decided to do so. Adequate steel work was erected to support the main church structure. Other improvements included a new chimney and two new furnaces; new cistern and water heater; installation of a sewage system; a complete modern kitchen facility; complete painting and refinishing of the exterior and interior of the church; modern lighting, including an outdoor lighting system and new flooring for restroom and rear hall areas. In addition, a new baptistry was built in the new basement area and new sidewalks were built in front and alongside the church. A cinder-covered parking lot was also constructed. The total cost and effort for this project was $17,000 and 3,000 man hours contributed by parishioners and friends. In 1958 and 1959, plans were drawn up for a new front addition for the church, including a balcony and choir loft and brick casing the entire church building. Keeping in mind that the Church and Sunday School were continuing to grow and even more space would be needed in the near future, these plans were rejected and the congregation looked ahead to plans for new facilities. In October 1961, the Saint James congregation took initial steps that would eventually lead to a new sanctuary and Sunday School building. The John W. Sperrow property, a 10 acre tract of land along with a 2-story brick house was purchased for $18,000. This parcel of land along with the original church lot comprises the present church property and the house is the present parsonage. (The property was sold at auction at the County Court House. Don Bowers and Mace Griffith submitted the congregation's bids.) The early 60's saw continued growth in Sunday School and various plans and drawings were being developed for new facilities and by December 1965, the congregation voted yes to proceed with a plan for construction. In June 1966, the congregation voted to accept a bid by Norman Early to construct an electrically heated two-story brick educational building. Construction of the facility began in August and was completed by the end of the year. The original Church building and new separate educational building served the congregation for five years until the new brick sanctuary was built onto the educational building. A local contractor, Russel Keener built the new church in 1971 and it was completed by autumn. The new building utilized the stained glass windows from the original church and a new large stained-glass window (of Christ with outstretched hands) was built into the front wall of the building directly above the baptistry. The new sanctuary and foyer along with a lower auditorium, including complete kitchen facilities combined with the educational building to form an under-one-roof multi-purpose facility which served the congregation through its 100th year of operation.
Saint James Brethren Church
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to this region to be a pastor. This was a time when there were varying
viewpoints and opinions among the German Baptist Brethren. Some individuals left
their home congregations and organized Sunday services at the Fountain Rock
School on the road between Williamsport and Boonsboro in the village of Saint
James (also registered as Lydia).