Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church
Crete, Nebraska

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"When Thou hast overcome the sharpness of death Thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers"
Rood beam inscription

Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church is in the National Register of Historic Places

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 This photo of Crete dates from 1874 or 1875. Trinity Memorial is believed to be the church near the left of the picture. The parsonage is directly north (left) of the church. This home has since been moved one lot to the north.

Count the trees in Crete in 1875!

The bottom picture is a detail of the larger one.

 

 

A paper on the architectural history of the church by Janet Jefferies may be found HERE
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Building Plan

 

 The church was built with four bays in 1872. An additional one bay was added in 1889. Vestibule, Chancel, and Sacristy were added in 1896.  This completed the Church design based on plans in “Upjohn’s Rural Architecture”, published in 1852. TMEC_b10.jpg (25734 bytes)

Church design based on plans in "Upjohn's Rural Architecture", 1852

 

 
churchfx.jpg (12952 bytes) Fourteenth Street was paved in 1931.  About this time the church was painted gray with green trim. church_buttresses_snow_2_0_copy.jpg (39130 bytes)
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Nonfunctional buttresses added:  1896 (probably).

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The "Memorial" in the Church name is to the Misses Kate and Helen Dater of New York City.  They donated $2000 to the Diocese of Nebraska for a new church.  Crete matched the donation by raising $1000 for the Rectory (believed to be the house to the north of the church).

 

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The cross is in memory of Mrs. Sidney Guthre Brady from the young ladies of the St. Agnes Altar Guild.

 
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Rood Beam (above) added:  1928 (a different account dates it to 1905).

This photo was taken sometime between 1928 (Rood Beam) and the 1940s (the hanging light fixtures).  

The pews may have come from St. Paul's Church in Omaha when it closed in 1938.

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The Altar and Altar Candles were donated in 1906 by Mrs. D.R. Hopkins.

The Communion Shelf is in memory of Frank J. Kobes 1889-1965  

 

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The Bishop's Chair was brought from the Genoa Indian Mission in 1938.
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These green windows are said to be of Belgian manufacture.  They be original, but certainly date to 1896 or earlier.  They are impossible to replace.

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Quatrefoil window on the west end and the wainscot were added in 1896.

 
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Undercroft (basement) added:  1949.  Cal Steele led this project.

 

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The baptismal font was donated by "women in Baltimore".