1855 St. Paul's Episcopal Church

The first Episcopal priest to reach the Oregon Territory worked his way west by driving the first flock of sheep to Oregon and later became the first Rector of St. Paul’s, Salem, was The Rev. St. Michael Fackler. He reached Oregon in 1847, and in 1848 became a teacher at the Oregon Institute [Willamette University]. In 1849, Fr. Fackler was given a lot on which to build a church by Dr. W. H. Willson.
It would not be until May 14, 1853 that the first Episcopal services were held in Salem. The Oregon Statesman, August 22, 1854, reported that an Episcopal Church (St. Paul’s) was under construction at the southwest corner of Church and Chemeketa. It was consecrated on Sunday, April 22, 1855, by Bishop Scott, assisted by Fr. Fackler. This was the third Episcopal Church structure in the Oregon Territory. The original St. Paul’s, was to stand 100 years, serving as a church for 70 years, and as a parish hall for 30 years.
In 1922, after moving the first church to the back of the lot, the second St. Paul's was built under Fr. Chambers at the corner of Chemeketa and Church Street. June 1929, the 17th Rector, Fr. George H. Swift, rapidly expanded the parish and built the third St. Paul's, in 1953. This church is located on the old Lincoln School site amongst the Willamette Prairie native oaks at the corner of Liberty and Myers, across from Bush Park.
(This text can be found at St. Paul's Episcopal Church online history.)