St. James Parish is part of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina and is the oldest church in the city of Wilmington.

In 1701, the General Assembly of the colony of Carolina divided the provinces into Parishes and provided for the support of the clergy of the Church of England.

[2] For the 1839 Church building, New York architect Henry C. Dudley (1813-1894) designed the truss roof in 1871 and the chancel and transept in 1885.

St. James Episcopal Church's oak altar and reredos were carved by Silas McBee, depicting the Nativity, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus.

The painting turned out to have been done by Spanish artist Francisco Pacheco, and was named Ecce Homo, Latin for Behold the Man.