Cathedral Church of St. Paul the Apostle

                        Canterbury House Fund Trust  

        Restoring our Legacy to Ensure our Future 

The Episcopal Cathedral Church of St. Paul the Apostle has a long and significant history serving the people of the Springfield area.  It is important to preserve its presence in Springfield through maintenance of its historic buildings.  25 years ago, the Cathedral finished its last major restoration project. The restoration was accomplished through the generous donations and hard work of the congregation. 

The Cathedral is now on the brink of a new beginning.  The year 2014 marks a fresh start for the Cathedral and its congregation.  That "new beginning" requires major repairs to our facilities.

A group of concerned parishioners decided to start with restoration of historic Canterbury House and established a “Canterbury Fund Trust Agreement.”  It was selected because it is a project within our reach.  This is not to say other projects are being ignored.  The Canterbury House is a prominant historic building near other historic buildings such as the Dana Thomas House, a Frank Lloyd Wright structure, located nearby.  A new roof is needed as well as extensive restoration to the exterior of the building.  Renovations are needed in the interior due to serious water damage from the deteriorated and leaking roof.  A new  roof will replace one installed in 1959.

Canterbury House is a historic landmark. This former rectory of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul was given in memory of Sophia Ridgley Smith by her daughter Jessie Taylor Brown.  It has stood since 1914 becoming an important center for community activities of the Cathedral.  The project will restore the exterior and interior of the Canterbury House to its original appearance. 

The current Cathedral was built between 1912 and 1913 to replace an older building located at Third and Adams Streets to house its congregation which was founded in 1835.  Its early members included, Ninian W. Edwards, son of Illinois’ first governor and husband of one of Mary Todd Lincoln’s sisters.  Four Todd sisters attended the Cathedral and were married here, including Frances Todd Wallace, Ann Todd Smith and Elizabeth Todd.

Mary Todd was married to Abraham Lincoln by the first Rector, Charles Dresser.  A marriage registery in which the marriage was recorded is preserved in the Canterbury House. 

Early members of St. Paul's Church also included Col. George Spotswood, grand-nephew of George Washington and son of Gen. Alexander Spotswood, Governor of Virginia and a Revolutionary War Officer.  Anastasia Spotswood, daughter of George, was the godchild of the Marquise de Lafayette. 

Members also included many of the founding families of Springfield, Samuel Treat, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, George Forquer, former Secretary of State and Attorney General for Illinois, Gov. Yates, Gov. Tanner, and Margaret Cross Norton, first Archivist of Illinois.

Why preserve the Canterbury House?  The answer is to restore our legacy and to ensure our future. 

Anyone interested in donating to this project can make checks payable to the “Canterbury House Trust Fund and specify in the memo “Canterbury House Restoration.”  All donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.

Progress on the restoration project will be posted on the Project Page.

We thank you for whatever donation you can make to the restoration of Canterbury House, an important roject for the Episcopal Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Springfield, Illinois.