Historical Society Heritage Month Program Monday May 17th Early History of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church by Starr Helms

The Laguna Beach Historical Society will be presenting a program Monday, May 17th “Early History of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church” by Starr Helms. The program is from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and will be held at the Laguna Beach City Hall Council Chambers, 505 Forest Avenue. The public is invited and there is no charge.

The May 17th slideshow presentation by Starr Helms, “The Chapel on the Hill,” will be on the historic buildings of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. It will trace the 50 year history of the Episcopal chapel of St. Francis-by-the-Sea (and other buildings), from the time it was constructed in 1925 until it was demolished in 1979.

In those 50 years Percy Wise Clarkson, who founded the Episcopal congregation and built the church, left the Episcopal faith, and its name was changed to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. Clarkson later built a second church he named St. Francis by-the-Sea (the American Catholic Church) right next door to the first.

The presentation will address how the church came to be built by Clarkson, the story of its ownership and name change, what it looked like before it was torn down, and the reason it was.

The information in the presentation is from two years’ research of the early history of the church, resulting in a recently-published 120-page book that includes over 100 photographs.

Starr Helms is originally from Nashville, Tennessee. She has lived in Orange County since 1990, and in Laguna Beach since 1995. In 2001, after 25 years with IBM, and 10 years of social work before that, she “retired,” planning to spend more time painting. However, the last two years have been spent researching and writing two books about the early history of St. Mary’s Church. Starr has been married to Bill Helms since 2005.

The Laguna Beach Historical Society has a web site to view historic photographs at www.Laguna-Historical-Society.smugmug.com. For those having treasured historic photographs or printed material, the Historical Society is happy to scan them electronically and return them to the owners. This way there will be a record preserved for future generations without the necessity for the owners to relinquish the item. Viewers are invited to leave comments to help the Society better identify or date the photographs. At the web site, prints can also be purchase; for example an 8” by 10” glossy for $6.97 plus tax and shipping.

There is a new Laguna Beach Sightseeing Catamaran Tour from Dana Point Harbor, Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00pm - 3:00pm that the Society recommends. See www.danawharf.com for details.

Step back into 1920s Laguna by visiting the Laguna Beach Historical Society Murphy-Smith Bungalow which located at 278 Ocean Avenue and which is opened to the public at no-charge every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. New Historical Society Board Member Karen Smith is now in charge of displays, and the Bungalow’s interior looks better than it has before. The closet now has period clothing which Karen wears when volunteering the 2nd Saturday and Sunday of each month.

Those interested in supporting and joining the Laguna Beach Historical Society should send $15 per individual, $25 per household or $50 per business/organization to 278 Ocean Avenue, Laguna Beach CA 92651. The Laguna Beach Historical Society is a section 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Tax ID #33-0519882.