St. John in the Wilderness

History of Saint-John-in-the-Wilderness

In 1852 a fellow named John Lucas, having emigrated from Staffordshire, England, purchased 34 acres of land in Gibbsboro, including two lakes. Here he established the paint works factory which became the major industry in the area. John Lucas and his wife Harriet also donated a parcel of this land and founded the Episcopal Church in Gibbsboro in 1882, where previously there had been no house of worship. As Harriet Lucas would later write: "Thus, after a quarter of a century of... suffering the privations of the precious ritual and teachings of our beloved church, we as a family felt animated to set up our altar in the midst of these people, who thus far had never made any movement towards such an end for themselves." The church was originally located in the center of Gibbsboro, adjacent to the paint works factory.

During the 1960’s, repairs and needed expansion were deemed to be so expensive that it was decided to build a new church on Hilliards Road, in a residential section of the town. The present building was completed in 1969. Furnishings from the old church including the organ, lectern, and altar were all incorporated into the present church. The eagle lectern was a gift of a carpenter who had worked on the original church, and who had made the carving as a thank-offering. 

A memorial brass in honor of Harriet Lucas, fashioned after her death in 1893 and commemorating her devotion to church and community, was also removed from the original church and now hangs near the lectern.

In the spring of 1974 a memorial garden was set aside for ashes of the deceased and as a quiet area for reflection.