Our History

Early in the 19th century Episcopalians, restless with traveling to St. Michael’s Marblehead and St. Peter’s Salem, began agitating for an Episcopal Church in Puritan-dominated Lynn. Their pleas went unheard until Lynn emerged as a vacation spot for wealthy Bostonians and New Yorkers. On September 22, 1844, St. Stephen’s held its first Christian worship service in a building across the Common. As the Industrial Revolution forged an urban center in Lynn through the shoe industry, the parish grew significantly with immigrants from England and the Canadian Maritime provinces.

Founding and Expansion of St. Stephen’s

The existing church was built in 1880 in memory of Lt. Col. Charles Mudge, who died valiantly in the American Civil War, and his sister Fanny Olive Van Brunt. St. Stephen’s is a national historic landmark designed by architects Ware and Van Brunt. The church boasts several extraordinary Tiffany windows designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Francis Millet. Please come to visit. All are welcome!