Christ’s Episcopal Church, Castle Rock Celebrates its First 100 Years
Just east of the railroad tracks, and up the hill in Old Town Castle Rock sits the historic landmark Chapel of Christ’s Episcopal Church. In its first 100 years it sheltered pioneers and innovators - the miners, ranchers, government workers, as well as the educators and small business owners who have shaped the Douglas County.
Today, that same pioneer spirit segues neatly into the entrepreneurial energy of its congregation, where Old West and New West sit comfortably side by side in the new Sanctuary. Anchored in history, poised for the future, this is today’s Christ's Episcopal Church, Castle Rock.
1906 – The Story Begins
According to a contemporary account from the Castle Rock Journal of July 20th, 1906:
“Work commenced last week on the Episcopal church, Chas. Herb having the contract for the stonework.”
Alongside news of the groundbreaking, the Castle Rock Journal’s editorial for that week in 1906 calls for a limit to the size of warships internationally, and reports a baby girl’s death from cholera. Ads for scenic rail trips to Colorado’s Royal Gorge and economy-sized fruit jars appear beside an urgent request for fat hogs to buy, and tips for housewives, e.g., add cinnamon to your gelatin dishes and starch to your skirts.
In the Castle Rock of 1906, the first yards of the fabric of a 100 year-history were being woven of events great and small -- the pleasure of friendships formed over fried oyster dinners, and the immense pride felt in the foundation of a new church. Other journalists of the time noted concerns about the rapid growth of the community, and prompted discussions over the wisdom of sidewalk building. After all, who should have free rein of the streets, one editorial questioned, chickens or humans? From 1906 to 2006, from pioneers to entrepreneurs, we see their lives in ours, vibrant threads in the area’s ongoing history.
2006 - New West and Old West Pray, Study, Serve and Play, Side by Side
These days the chairs of Christ’s Church new sanctuary are filled with fifth-generation Coloradoans sitting side by side with new technology immigrants still arriving from around the country. The church congregation is a lively microcosm of Douglas County and Colorado itself, revealing life-and-work-style changes brought by the last decade’s vast changes in technology. Upon closer inspection the ties between pioneers and entrepreneurs seem easier to understand, and after all, not so surprising.
An Architectural Landmark, Still Going Strong
Old Town Castle Rock is home to many architectural jewels, several of them walled in the rhyolite stone from old quarries in the surrounding area. This stone, lightweight but wonderfully strong, became the building material of choice from Denver to Colorado Springs in the early years of the 20th century. A walking tour of Castle Rock reveals many wonderful examples of rhyolite use, as well as other elements of the town’s signature style. The Cantril School, the Hammar House, the Castle Café, the old Cantril Courthouse on 3rd Street, and Victoria’s House on Jerry Street (home to the Chamber of Commerce) are all within blocks of each other. Not least among these architectural gems is the Historic Landmark Chapel on the campus of Christ’s Episcopal Church at Fourth and Lewis, where rhyolite walls frame elegant examples of stained glass of the period. According to some sources, this is the oldest building in the town of Castle Rock still being used for its original purpose.
