In addition to worship, St. James Church is actively involved in service to the community, pastoral care, and Christian education for all ages.

In 1819, a small group of Episcopalians with no rector and no regular place for worship formed the nucleus of what was to become St. James Episcopal Church.

Mrs. Zachary Taylor, wife of the twelfth President of the United States, gathered this group of Episcopalians together in 1843, and by 1844, the parish received its charter of incorporation from the Louisiana legislature.

Leonidas Polk that same year and went on to survive tornadoes, yellow fever, the Battle of Baton Rouge, post-Civil War occupation, and Reconstruction.

Almost every other Episcopal parish, mission and diocesan institution in Baton Rouge can trace its origins to the nurture and support of St. James Church.

St. James Episcopal Day School, founded in 1948 as a kindergarten by Doris deBessonet, provides a church-based education to children 18 months old through 5th.

Today, St. James Church includes an active community of clergy, lay leadership, and volunteers working cooperatively to provide spiritual, educational, social, and service ministries to the Baton Rouge area.

The baptismal font is a single piece of Italian granite donated in 1886 in memory of Union Brigadier General Thomas Williams by his son, the Rt.

On May 29, 1862, General Williams arrived with six regiments of infantry, two artillery batteries, and a troop of cavalry, and began the occupation of Baton Rouge.

Shortly after Tucker's departure, three stained glass windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany were donate in 1910 to be placed immediately behind the altar.

Today, the overall campus is one and a half city blocks including a parish hall, gym, multiple school buildings, and ministry center.