A Brief History of Trinity Episcopal Parish
The first Episcopal Church services in Morgantown were held in 1819, and the members of this group built a small church to be used both by Episcopalians and Presbyterians. The Episcopal group eventually stopped services and the present Episcopal ministry of Trinity Church was formed in the 1870’s when the Reverend George Gibbons, pastor at Fairmont, helped organize a congregation in Morgantown, Late in the 1870’s this group built a small wooden church on High Street.
Bishop George W. Peterkin, the first bishop of West Virginia, had an Episcopal dormitory built at the corner of Willey and Spruce Streets, which was completed in 1895. The dormitory served Episcopal students on the nearby West Virginia University campus until 1907, when it was rented to the University for use as a women’s dormitory. By this time the small wooden church on high Street had been moved directly behind the dormitory.
Trinity congregation grew slowly but steadily between 1900 and 1949, and was beginning to feel the need for more space. In 1948, plans were made to establish a stone, Gothic edifice on the site of the former dormitory. This building was completed in 1952 and is noted for its beautiful stained glass windows. Much of this glass was made in West Virginia glass factories.
History
