Austin
Travis County, Texas
30 16.115' N 97 44.380' W

Text: Located in pioneer Austin at the edge of town on a site never used for a secular building. At first called “Church of the Epiphany.” Cornerstone laid on April 7, 1853, with impressive ceremonies for the capital city’s first tone church. Built of native limestone, its architecture blended Spanish Mission with traditional Gothic elements. Founders included officials from government of the late Republic of Texas. Rector was the Reverend Edward Fontaine, great-grandson of Patrick Henry and Secretary in 1841 to President Mirabeau Lamar. Renamed Saint David’s in 1859. Home church of the first Bishop of the Diocese of Texas, the Right Reverend Alexander Gregg. Although 19th and 20th century additions to the early building have changed it greatly, its sturdy frontier aspect has been preserved. The bell still in use was cast in Philadelphia in 1853. The stained glass windows are mainly of the Victorian period. Church’s first organist, the novelist Amelia Barr, said that “it stood at the gate of the city like a visible prayer.” As an example of historic stability it stands today in the heart of the city.