PORT TOWNSEND — St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will host an open house from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.
The church, located at 1020 Jefferson St., invites the public to tour the recently renovated structure.
St. Paul’s, built in 1865, features a Gothic Revival exterior and Fenn House, an adjacent Victorian rectory, which was built in 1886.
The church, which was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1977, is the oldest church building in Port Townsend and the oldest Episcopal church building in continuous use in the state.
During the open house, docents will guide tours of the newly restored interior while Jennifer Pipia, the church’s organist, will play brief selections to showcase the space’s acoustics.
They will also provide tours of the church’s exterior and of Fenn House.
Parishioner Danny Barnes will provide banjo music in the courtyard and other members of the congregation will serve strawberry shortcake, and lemonade in the parish hall.
”Our history spans the whole history of the town,” said Margaret McGee, the church’s historian. “When our church building was first erected, Port Townsend Bay was filled with sailing ships from around the world, and the S’Klallam and Chemakum people living in the Qatáy village were Port Townsend’s close neighbors.”
St. Paul’s held its first service in the building on Easter in 1865 and finished the restoration just in time to celebrate its 159th Easter service earlier this year.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church as it appeared in 1904.
