History
“The appointments and surroundings were not all that could be desired, but the people gladly heard the word preached.” These words are from the diary of the Rt. Rev. Charles Todd Quintard, Bishop of Tennessee and Vice Chancellor of the University of the South. On August 30, 1868, he conducted the first service of Christ Church in Tracy City. The “surroundings” were indeed modest: a sawmill shed across from the railroad depot in this frontier town fueled by coal and timber.
Worship services continued there until a community structure, Temperance Hall, was built for people of all denominations to use. In 1873, local Episcopalians erected their own church—the town’s first—under the leadership of Milnor Jones, a student at the School of Theology at Sewanee. He had the financial backing of three widowed sisters. Jones was among countless Sewanee seminarians who trekked to Tracy City by train, horseback and on foot to conduct services at the mountain mission. In gratitude, church members fed and lodged them.
The Rev. Henry Easter arrived in 1891. A master carver who served Christ Church until 1896, he left his mark by carving the altar in memory of his mother. He also created the bishop’s chair, priest’s chair, desk, lectern and communion rail.
In 1925, a new church was built to replace the original one damaged severely by a storm. Miraculously, Father Easter’s hand-carved works survived the storm and were installed in the new church where they remain today. Also added were three inspirational stained-glass windows above the altar. St. Margaret’s Guild raised the money to purchase the windows, while other windows, including one by Tiffany, were gifts of several prominent church families.
Worship services continued there until a community structure, Temperance Hall, was built for people of all denominations to use. In 1873, local Episcopalians erected their own church—the town’s first—under the leadership of Milnor Jones, a student at the School of Theology at Sewanee. He had the financial backing of three widowed sisters. Jones was among countless Sewanee seminarians who trekked to Tracy City by train, horseback and on foot to conduct services at the mountain mission. In gratitude, church members fed and lodged them.
The Rev. Henry Easter arrived in 1891. A master carver who served Christ Church until 1896, he left his mark by carving the altar in memory of his mother. He also created the bishop’s chair, priest’s chair, desk, lectern and communion rail.
In 1925, a new church was built to replace the original one damaged severely by a storm. Miraculously, Father Easter’s hand-carved works survived the storm and were installed in the new church where they remain today. Also added were three inspirational stained-glass windows above the altar. St. Margaret’s Guild raised the money to purchase the windows, while other windows, including one by Tiffany, were gifts of several prominent church families.
Christ Church marked a major milestone on October 5, 1952, when the Rt. Rev. Theodore N. Barth, Bishop of Tennessee, dedicated the Father Adamz Memorial Parish House. Built with donations from the church and community, the Parish House honors the late Rev. Alphonso Constantine Adamz.
Father Adamz, who served Christ Church from 1927 to 1941, ministered to people of all faiths on the mountain and beyond. Through scouting, he inspired many local young men to further their education and improve their community. He was able to attend the dedication of the Parish House in his honor and died shortly thereafter, on December 28, 1952, in Tracy City.
In 2015, Christ Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The church is also featured “On Glory Road” by the Southeast Tennessee Tourism Association. Christ Church celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2018.