History of Trinity Episcopal Church

Trinity Episcopal Church, modeled after a Knight's Templar Church in London, England, is greatly admired for its traditional beauty and enjoys landmark status in South Mississippi. Trinity Church began with a handful of devout Anglicans whose first recorded services were held in 1895. The first confirmations were administered by Bishop Thompson on February 11, 1900.

 In July 1901, Trinity Mission was organized at a meeting of interested persons in the Forrest County Court House and was promptly admitted into the Diocese during the Diocesan Council in April 1902. Church services were held in the court house and later at First Presbyterian Church until 1902, when a frame church was built on Buschman Street using a parcel of land acquired in 1899.

The Rev. William Smith Simpson-Atmore was priest-in-charge from 1910 - 1922. During the first year of his charge, Trinity Mission bought its present site and converted the existing house into a rectory. The present church building was under construction from late 1911 until December 1912. Its features include 26 lancet windows and two rose windows of Munich Antique Cathedral glass. One member laid the 400,000 bricks.

J. Pierpoint Morgan along with the Right Honorable Arthur J. Balfour, ex-Prime Minister of England, Honorable Edith Gibbs, daughter of the late Lord Bishop of Southwell, the Archbishop of Northingham and others gave the "Christ the Sower" window on the Gospel side. This window is dedicated to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.

Twenty-six chancellors of the Episcopal Church gave the "Christ and Nicodemus" window on the Epistle side of the apse.  

Trinity's original organ was the first pipe organ in Hattiesburg. It was designed by Dr. Simpson-Atmore and was patterned after the one used by the poet, John Milton, while he was secretary to Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century. The present McManis organ was installed in 1967.

Trinity Church was consecrated by Bishop Bratton on November 23, 1919 and became a parish on June 11, 1922, with the Rev. E. Lucien Malone as the first rector.

In 1949, the old rectory was converted into a parish house-church school. In 1955, a new parish house was built and dedicated.

In April 1973, fire destroyed the original parish house, at which time church offices were relocated to the Humble Building until the purchase and renovation of a residence on Pine Street next door to the church. The new parish house was dedicated by Bishop Duncan M. Gray Jr. on July 13, 1975.

In addition to the church building which seats 250, the physical facilities of the parish include the annex, which houses the church offices and provides additional classroom space used today by the Trinity Playschool.