St. James Parish Government history

The Church of St Michael was erected by the Acadians of the Parish in 1809 on the site donated by the Cantrelle family.

In 1833, an agricultural society was incorporated ,of which Governor Roman was president.

It was originally built in 1835 to serve parishioners and others vacationing at the beach who could not otherwise complete the several-hour trip into town and back in order to attend church.

Jefferson College, one of the best-known and oldest institutions in the state, was founded in 1838, and did much toward the education of Louisiana youth.

Bricks from the first building (which had probably been manufactured at the site of the original construction) were used for the construction of the present church building which was completed and consecrated on March 29, 1840.

The first seat of justice was at St James, but in 1869 it was changed to Convent, on the opposite side of the Mississippi.

In 1885, the chancel (altar) area of the church was expanded and the south transept was added; the architect was Henry Dudley of New York City.

In 1892, the Bridgers Memorial Building was completed, honoring Robert R. Bridgers, a prominent citizen of Wilmington who had been a member of the North Carolina General Assembly.

The following statistics are from the U. S. census for 1910; number of farms, 355; acreage, 80,321; acres under cultivation, 48,755; value of land and improvements exclusive of buildings, $3,345,638; value of farm buildings, $736,251; value of livestock, $510,368; total value of crops, $1,569,572.

In 1912, a cloister was added linking the Bridgers Building and the church.

The population was 23,009. [Louisiana, Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form, Volume II, 1914, transcribed by C. Danielson]

In 1923-24, the Parish House was built behind the church, providing a spacious parish hall (the “Great Hall”) and classrooms for St James and featuring a beautiful tower similar in design to the church tower.

Valcour Aime, brother-in-law of Governor Roman, once purchased it as a sheriff's sale, restored it, and some time later presented it to the Marist Fathers, who operated it until 1927 when bad crops forced them to close it.

In May 1941, months before Pearl Harbor Day, preparations were made in Wilmington to welcome soldiers to local churches.

In 1955-56, Milton Hall (containing classrooms and an assembly hall) was built, designed by Charles H. Boney of the Leslie N. Boney firm in Wilmington, and located adjacent to and connected to the south side of the Bridgers Memorial Building.