St. Andrews Episcopal

Darien was founded in 1736 by Scottish Highlanders brought over by Oglethorpe to defend the southern frontier. Fiercely Presbyterian, the Highlanders held to their faith for nearly a century before other denominations gained a foothold. The Baptists organized in 1834, the Methodists in 1836, and the Episcopalians in 1841. The church was first organized as St. Peter’s in 1841, renamed St. Andrew’s in 1842, and completed its first wooden sanctuary in 1844. That early building stood only a short distance from today’s church.

Darien’s fortunes, however, declined in the mid-19th century. Railroads bypassed the port, the powerful Darien Bank failed, and during the Civil War the town met near-total destruction. On June 11, 1863, Union troops looted and burned Darien to the ground. Only the Methodist church survived.

The beautiful sanctuary you see today rose from the ashes in 1879. The vision came from timber merchant James K. Clarke and the Rev. James W. Leigh, an English clergyman who had married Frances Butler, daughter of plantation owner Pierce Butler. Rev. Leigh secured plans from an English architect who modeled the design on a 14th-century Gothic stone church near Manchester, England. Built on the site of the old Darien Bank, the new church drew from local timber floated down the Altamaha.

The result is a masterpiece of Carpenter Gothic style, with steep-pitched roofs, pointed-arch windows, and intricate woodwork. The interior, inspired by medieval stone churches, carries a more austere tone, with vaulted ceilings and a sense of quiet grandeur.

St. Andrew’s stands today as a jewel of McIntosh County and a symbol of Darien’s rebirth after devastation. Thanks to generations of faithful stewardship, this architectural treasure continues to tell the story of resilience, faith, and artistry along Georgia’s coast.