Epiphany Episcopal church, seen looking northwest from Beaver St.
The Craftsman-style nave.
The altar in the church garden, outside and immediately behind the chancel.
The Episcopal Church first came to Flagstaff twenty five years before Arizona achieved statehood. In the statehood year of 1912, the tiny congregation moved from its temporary quarters at the Elks Hall (at the corner of San Francisco and Aspen) and into the new stone structure on the corner of Beaver and Elm streets.
Master stonemason Herman Dietzman built the Period Revival style church, with its distinctive bell tower and gothic arched stained glass window. The Craftsman style of the interior is seen in the hand-carved finishings and light fixtures. A parish hall was added in 1927, with malpais rock construction and gothic arched windows matching the sanctuary.
The parish's early history was marked by the World Wars. A wreath commemorating local boys fighting on the European front hung on the church's wooden double doors during World War I. Records by Church Secretary Kent Rucker show an enormous struggle by church leadership to continue parish business during wartime. The Bishop's Committee authorized the user of the parish hall for dances for soldiers sponsored by the church. Financial aid for the church was obtained through C. B. Wilson, Dr. H. S. Colton, the Babbitt brothers, and Joe Kellam, to name a few.
Women have always been a guiding presence in the parish. They have contributed in the St. Margaret's Guild, St. Anne's Guild, and the present day Altar Guild. They raised money for vestments, candles, and linens. Bazaars were a common way to raise monies, and the huge yard sale held every year in the 1970's was famous around town.
As our parish approaches its 100th year at the corner of Beaver and Elm, we reflect on those who have gone before, and on the legacy that we are leaving for the future. We have rededicated ourselves to supporting the growth of our congregation, maintaining our historic building, and preserving our music ministry through a rebuild of the pipe organ. All is done in God's name, and in love for this life and the life to come. We remember our past as we move confidently into the future.