The Holy Cross Story: Shaped by History, Inspired by Faith

For more than 150 years, Holy Cross Episcopal Church has played a significant role in the history of Sanford and Central Florida. Founded in 1873, the parish has had to overcome adversity many times, including the need to rebuild the church twice during its long history. The church buildings you see today were based on a Spanish architectural style and were completed in 1941. They stand as a testament to our congregation's resilience and commitment to faith.

Holy Cross is the Mother Church of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It continues to be a vital center for ministry and community engagement. We welcome all to join us and become part of our incredible legacy.

Our Origins

Henry Shelton Sanford photo portraitHoly Cross Episcopal Church was established in 1873 at the direction of Henry Shelton Sanford. He was a former American diplomat and businessman from Connecticut. Sanford notably served as United States Minister to Belgium from 1861 to 1869 and secured arms and supplies for the Union army during the American Civil War.

When Sanford came to Lake Monroe and its surrounding environs in 1870, he saw great promise for establishing a port city to supply south Florida. Lake Monroe was the southern terminus for steamboat traffic on the St. John’s River just 200 miles from Jacksonville. The area was also full of fertile lands for growing vegetables and citrus fruits. Consequently, Sanford purchased 12,547 acres and then laid out a town that would eventually bear his name. As part of his vision, he deeded land for an Episcopal church and rectory.
 
Sanford’s wife, Gertrude Dupuy Sanford, took great interest in building the church. She wrote letters to her wealthy friends in the North to solicit donations. The money she raised proved pivotal in the construction of “The Church of the Holy Cross,” as it was first known.
 
The church’s original design was based on plans by renowned architect Richard Upjohn. The British-American became most famous for his Gothic revival churches, including Trinity Church at the head of Wall Street in New York City. Upjohn was both a friend of Henry Sanford and the second Bishop of Florida, John Freeman Young. 

The Early Years

Holy Cross was consecrated on “Low Sunday” on April 20, 1873 (the second Sunday in Easter) and its first rector was the Reverend F.R. Holeman. The Reverend soon found himself presiding over such a large, spread-out area that he organized catechism classes to prepare followers to spread the word about the church and the Lord’s teachings. He also organized nearby missions in Maitland, Orlando, Apopka, Lake Jesup, Orange Mills, and Enterprise.

In 1875, the Reverend Lyman Phelps became rector of Holy Cross. He was not only a priest, but an agriculturist and banker. Interestingly, he was Henry Sanford’s friend and served as his agent at the citrus groves that Sanford named Belair.
 
Reverend Phelps appears to have been an active missionary. By 1876, he reported holding regular services at Holy Cross two Sundays a month and also services in Orlando and Maitland. The Reverend also planted citrus trees on the church property to help sustain the church families. The growth of the parish was on an upward trajectory during the remaining years of the 1870’s.
 
Disaster struck, however, during the summer of 1880. A powerful hurricane swept through the area, completely destroying the church building and many of the citrus groves.

Rebuilding the Church

After the hurricane, construction of the new church was begun in earnest. To help finance the endeavor, Bishop Young made appeals for aid, including via the local newspaper. So too did Gertrude Sanford. “Our dear little church”, she told her Northern friends, needed their generous contributions to rebuild it. Such appeals proved fruitful and quickly raised the requisite amount.

In 1882, a modified Upjohn church was completed using materials where possible from the ruins of the first church. Pictures of the sanctuary revealed a board and batten interior, the altar, pulpit and pews were rough-hewn construction. The high spire became a landmark for steamboats moving along the St. John’s River.
 
In 1883, the Reverend S.B. Carpenter became rector of the newly built church. In the diocesan records, Holy Cross was reported having 42 families. By November of 1891, the church was again out of debt and was consecrated by the Bishop of Florida, Edwin Gardner Weed.
 
The ensuing years for Holy Cross Parish were made difficult once again by the weather. Back-to-back freezes of 1894 and 1895 crippled citrus groves and family farms in Florida. Many parishioners moved away and those remaining were left without means of a livelihood. For a long while, the church itself was unable to pay for a regular priest. Fortunately, visiting clergy from the north and elsewhere served as a lifeline.
 
In 1913, the Reverend Arthur Searing Peck was called to Holy Cross. The parish house was built and dedicated in 1914. This became the community center for the city. The Brotherhood of St. Andrews Society was formed and became a force behind the center. They had a library, a bowling alley, billiards table and a “moving picture machine.”

Rising Like a Pheonix from the Ashes

On November 27, 1923, Holy Cross faced another catastrophe. A fire destroyed the entire complex of buildings. All church records, the priest’s collections of important books, and all the furnishings were lost as well. The city fire hydrants could not supply enough water pressure to aid the fire department in putting out the fire.
 
Hardly had the ashes cooled when the congregation began making plans to rebuild yet again. They enlisted the design services of Elton James Moughton, who was the chief architect for the city of Sanford at the time. He chose a pre-depression Spanish architectural style for the church with red tile roofing and bell tower.  The time and money required for building it did not prove to be an issue during the 1920’s land boom years. A grander, more elaborate Holy Cross Church was planned to include a fully equipped parish house, kitchen, dining hall, library, and an apartment.
 
From 1930 to 1933, the Reverend Henry Louttit and then the Reverend Martin Bram, 1933 to 1941, guided the parish through the difficult years of the Great Depression. Both priests later became bishops of the Central Florida Diocese. On October 4, 1941, Bishop John Durham Wing consecrated the present building. The Reverend Frank Pulley was rector at the time.
 
The height of the bell tower was increased in 1957 when an addition was built, plus a bell was installed. The bell named “Raphael” now rings out for services. A Casavant Frères pipe organ was installed in 1973. Forty years later, the organ was renovated.
 
In 2005, extensive renovations were made to the parish hall. Among the changes were updates to the bathrooms, kitchen, flooring, fans, and air conditioning. Eight small classrooms were enlarged to make four rooms with clear visibility into the auditorium area. Today, the church’s offices, plus a nursery and classroom, are located in these enlarged rooms.
 
On Sunday April 12, 2015, the church dedicated a plaque commemorating the building’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Holy Cross has the distinction of being referred to as the “Mother Church of Central Florida”, because of the many missions it’s spiritual leaders established during those early formative years.
 
Today, Holy Cross Episcopal Church is an active place for ministry where the congregation cherishes its rich history and deeply cares for our members and the Sanford community.