St. Stephen’s History

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church commenced its existence in Grand Island when ten people in the frontier town of 400 organized in 1871 to start a church. Upon application to the town site department of the Union Pacific Railroad, two lots were obtained at Second and Cedar and a frame church was constructed which held not more than fifty people.

The name of the church became St. Stephen’s when a Miss Shaw, of St. Stephen’s Church of Providence, Rhode Island, stipulated with her gift of five hundred dollars that the new church be named for the church of which she was a member. All Saint’s Church of Portsmouth, Ohio, the home of Mrs. R.C. Jordan, who started Sunday School classes in her home even before the church was organized, donated a church bell.

In 1888 the present church building was begun on the original site, the frame church having been moved to the north where services could be held during the construction period. The rector, J. Nelson Jones, an English clergyman, drew up the church design and plans for the windows used by the architect and contractor.

St. Stephen’s Parish Hall was built on the old rectory site in 1956 and consecrated in 1959. It houses a meeting hall, kitchen and Sunday school rooms and serves several community groups as well as the parish. Extensive renovating and improvements were carried out on this building in 1991 and a Columbarium and Memorial Chapel plus a handicapped accessible elevator and restrooms were added in 1997.

The property across the street, west of the church was also purchased in 1997. This added extra parking as well as a youth meeting room and offices that are used by non-profit organizations as a part of our outreach program.

The former Grand Island College building, located east of the church, was purchased and renovated in 2000 to become the St. Stephen’s Community Center. The center provides office space to nine non-profit agencies as well as meeting rooms.

The sanctuary of the church was completely renovated in 2002. Visitors always enjoy visiting the beautiful stained glass windows and also the pew where President Theodore Roosevelt worshiped when he visited Grand Island in 1903 in order to dedicate the new Carnegie Library.