Camp on February 26, 1871 describes the rectory in Lake City and the Peabody School under Church supervision, later known as St. James Academy.
Charles Snowden built the original St. James Episcopal Church in 1880 with his own money and labor at the corner of South Alachua & West Nassau Streets.
The location was on the main roadway through town, and many church members lived nearby and walked to services.
St. James remained a Mission until 1960, which meant that the church relied upon the Diocese of Florida for financial support.
The Episcopal church that had remained virtually unchanged since the advent of the twentieth century slowly began to grow.
Less critical, but still important, was the lack of nearby parking that had been a problem for many years, and the absence of an area for outdoor activities.
At the end of 1968, the building committee recommended the purchase of a ten-acre parcel on the south side of town near the city limits.
Finally in August 1987, the parish sold their 2 city lots to the next door neighbor and moved the church (the second time for the Sanctuary) to its present location, just off State Road 47, a distance of about 4 miles.
The Right Reverend Stephen Hays Jecko, Seventh Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida officiated the ceremony and was assisted by the Rev.
The new sanctuary became the primary worship center for the St. James family, but the historical old building was not destroyed, nor abandoned.
Susan Q. Claytor became the new rector of St. James Episcopal Church of Lake City in early 2007.