Our History

Our Parish is among Long Island’s earliest Episcopal (originally Anglican) congregations. We consider our founding date 1702, when England’s Society for the Propagation of the Gospel responded to Hempstead inhabitants who were seeking the services of the established Church of England by designating Hempstead a mission site for an Anglican parish. Reverend William Vesey and Reverend George Keith preached at St. George’s whenever possible until the first permanent rector, Reverend John Thomas, arrived in 1704. Since then, the succession of St. George’s has been unbroken. Reverend Thomas was responsible for the beginning of public education in Hempstead because he convinced the Hempstead citizens to create and maintain a fund for hiring a regular schoolteacher.

In 1706, Queen Anne of England provided the new congregation with a silver plate and a Book of Common Prayer. In 1734 the rector and congregation members were granted a charter of incorporation by the Province of New York, transferring what had been the property of the town to this corporation “absolutely and forever.” In 1735, King George II granted a Royal Charter to the parish. The bylaws of the Royal Charter govern the congregation’s corporate life to this day.

The 1648 meeting house was replaced in 1683, and again in 1735, at which time St. George’s famous rooster-shaped weather vane was mounted on its steeple. Fire destroyed the 1735 building in 1820, but the weather vane survived, and was affixed to the present church building, completed in 1822. The interior columns that still support the lofty sanctuary ceiling were hewn from oak trees dragged across the Hempstead Plains by teams of horses. The 1822 structure was extended in 1856 and remodeled in 1893 and 1906. Several of its many stained-glass windows were designed by Tiffany & Co. In 1854 the tower clock was purchased from Sherry and Brypan of Sag Harbor (four years before London installed Big Ben on the Palace of Westminster). St. George’s is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, along with its rectory, which has stood since 1793.

During the American Revolution, Hempstead inhabitants remained loyal to King George III. St. George’s became a headquarters as well as a place to worship for British soldiers, who occupied Hempstead for most of the Revolutionary War. Local folklore has it that the rooster weather vane was used for target practice by Hessian mercenaries, leaving it with sixteen bullet marks.

Our historic church represents stability, continuity, and insights conferred by our rich past. May we together share the blessings of life and love that God continues to reveal among us.