About Church of the Holy Comforter
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Welcome
If you are traveling, visiting, or retiring in the River Region of the Diocese of Florida, we invite you to visit Church of the Holy Comforter. We are a small congregation actively involved in sharing God's love with the community around us. Crescent City is located in North East Florida about 45 minutes south and west of Historic St. Augustine.
Our Historic Church
In 1876, the Rt. Rev James Freeman Young, Bishop of Florida, assigned the Rev. Charles Williams, Brooklyn, NY, as missionary to Crescent City. In 1877, property was donated by the company which originally develop the city, funds were raised and the first services were held on February 10, 1878. Bishop Young consecrated the building on March 3, 1878.
The architectural design of Holy Comforter is termed Carpenter Gothic, a concept of English-born Richard Upjohn, who is also credited with founding the American Institute of Architects in 1854. Bishop Young had churches of the same design constructed along the St. Johns River between Sanford and Jacksonville which became know as "River Churches".
The original belfry, built in 1879, was damaged by a storm and reconstructed in 1942. The Rectory, which currently serves the South Putnam Christian Service Center, was built in 1913. Work on the Parish Hall was begun in 1936 under the direction of then Rector Frank Dearing and renamed Dearing hall in 1995 in recognition of the much beloved priest.
For more information about our church be sure to visit our website (http://holycomfortercrescentcity.org).
To help maintain the heritage of this historic church, visit our Endowment Trust Fund website (http://holycomforterendowmenttrust.org).
