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Episcopal Church Collection, circa 1830-2010

Overview of the Collection

Title
Episcopal Church Collection
Dates
circa 1830-2010 (inclusive)
Quantity
9 cubic feet (15 document cases, 4 flat boxes, 1 custom box, 1 oversize folder, 5 reels microfilm)
Collection Number
Mss 88
Summary
Collection of materials assembled by the Oregon Historical Society relating to the Episcopal Church in Oregon. Includes papers relating to Bishops Thomas Fielding Scott, Benjamin Wistar Morris, Charles Scadding, and Walter Taylor Sumner; other clergy members; local churches; materials relating to Good Samaritan Hospital, Bishop Scott Academy, and St. Helens Hall, all of Portland; and records of the Women's Auxiliary. Much of the collection was assembled by Rev. Edward H. Clark. Also includes microfilm of church records for various Oregon parishes, including the Missionary Diocese of Eastern Oregon.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English.
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

The first Bishop of the Diocese of Oregon, Thomas Fielding Scott, arrived on April 22, 1854, five years before Oregon became a state, four years after the first Episcopal services were read on the bank of the Willamette River at Champoeg, and a year after the first congregations were organized. His responsibilities included all of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho and parts of Montana. After 1863 this was reduced to what is now Oregon and Washington, and in 1880 Washington became a separate diocese. In 1907 the Missionary Diocese of Eastern Oregon was formed to serve congregations east of the Cascade Range.

The first Episcopal Church, Trinity, was consecrated in Oregon on September 24, 1854. In 1861 the first issue of the Oregon Churchman was published as a tool for education and propaganda. Early activities of the Diocese included the founding of educational institutions, such as the girls' school St. Helen's Hall (1869), the boys' school Bishop Scott Academy (1870), both in Portland; and the establishment Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland (1875).

Bishops of the Diocese of Oregon include Thomas Fielding Scott (1853-1867), Benjamin Wistar Morris (1880-1906), Charles Scadding (1906-1914), Walter Taylor Sumner (1914-1935), Benjamin Dunlap Dagwell (1936-1958), James Walmsley Frederic Carman (1958-1974), Matthew Paul Bigliardi (1974-1985), and Robert Louis Ladehoff (1985-). In 2001, the number of congregations in the diocese was seventy-seven.

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Content Description

Records include: papers and clippings of former Bishops and Diocese officials; Diocese of Oregon Scrapbook (1914-1935); Diocese of Oregon 125th Anniversary (1976); date book of Bishop Charles Scadding (1906-1914); seal of the Diocese of Oregon (1925); Board of Missions minutes (1906-1911); missionary convocations (1870-1880); Oregon Clericus minutes and correspondence (1919-1929); Diocesan Auxiliary minutes (1892-1913); Women's Auxiliary annual reports (1861-1930); and Good Samaritan Hospital scrapbook (1894-1936).

There are church parish news clippings and ephemera including those for Trinity Church in Portland. Records also include school materials, such as those for the Bishop Scott Academy (1887-1894, 1916-1920) and St. Helen's Hall. Bishop files cover bishops Thomas Fielding Scott, Benjamin Wistar Morris, Charles Scadding (1874-1911), Walter Taylor Sumner, Benjamin Dunlap Dagwell, James W. F. Carman, and Matthew P. Bigliardi, although the bulk of the materials relate to Bishops Morris, Scadding and Sumner. Bishops' materials include correspondence, biographical materials, clippings, scrapbooks, ephemera, and the diary of Bishop Scadding.

Microfilm contains records of churches in the Missionary District of Eastern Oregon, mostly dating from the 1940s through the 1960s. Also included is microfilm of records of churches in Portland, Newport, Oakland, Sellwood, and the office of the Diocese of Oregon.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any publication use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

Episcopal Church Collection, Mss88, Oregon Historical Society Research Library

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in the following series:

  • Series A: Bishops, 1840-1974
  • Series B: Other Clergy Members, 1892-2010
  • Series C: Episcopal Institutions, 1878-1986
  • Series D: Individual Churches, 1870-1985
  • Series E: General Files, 1842-1982
  • Series F: Women's Auxiliary, 1873-1930
  • Series G: Microfilmed Records, 1882-1967

Acquisition Information

The collection was assembled by the Oregon Historical Society from a variety of sources. Donors include: Arthur C. Spencer III; and Susan Sammons, Aug. 18, 1986, Library Acc. 17902.

Processing Note

The box numbers appearing in the container list below often do not follow a straight numeric order. This is due to the varying sizes of the materials, which are housed in boxes of varying sizes, and the need to list items in respect to their content in relation to other items.

Location of Originals

Originals of some microfilmed records located at the library of the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon, Portland.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid compiled by Geoffrey B. Wexler
2011

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