St. Paul's Church

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Historical Marker #1151 in Newport notes the significance of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, which has served the community since 1844.

The St. Paul's congregation was formed nearly seventy years after the first Episcopal missionary, Rev. John Lythe, came to Kentucky in 1774. With the help of Reverend Dr. Nicholas Hammer Cobbs, who was originally the Rector at St. Paul's Church in Cincinnati, the Newport congregation was founded and organized in 1844. The following spring, the congregation filed for incorporation with the state.

The congregation purchased a brick church building that stood at its present location that had previously served as a Methodist meeting house. During its early days, St. Paul's shared a Rector with the Trinity Church in Covington. In 1849, the congregation received their own Rector, Rev. Charles Henry Page. During the 1850s, the church building was enlarged. Although membership was small, the parishioners were loyal and included several of the community’s leaders.

By the 1860s, the St. Paul's church building needed to be replaced. In 1870, the old brick building was razed and, the following year, the cornerstone was laid for a new structure that would be built of native limestone. The cost of construction totaled $33,000. Over the years the building has withstood an earthquake in 1880, the floods of 1884 and 1937, and even two tornados; one in 1915 and the other in 1986.

Just as the St. Paul's building has weathered the trials of its times, so has the congregation. Its legacy was summarized by the Reverend Benaiah Hudson Crewe, in 1935: "This lovely building, which is the pledge of your inheritance and the symbol of your faith, shall stand hereafter to inspire the thanksgiving of generations yet unborn and to quicken their spiritual life."