St. Margaret first was organized in 1890 as a mission by Mr. Joseph Rushton in a former schoolhouse located at 75th Street near Exchange.  A medical missionary from the west, Dr. Heny J. Brown, followed Mr. Rushton.  Sometime later, this property was sold and in 1895 a new lot on the east side of Coles Avenue was purchased.  The old church building was moved to this site.  The church was heated by two stoves, one in the front and one in the back.  Two ministers, The Reverend Rogers and The Reverend Wheeler, followed the missionaries.  The name of the mission was changed to St. Margaret of Scotland in memory of Mrs. Margaret Fair, the mother of Maria and Ella Fair, who later lost their lives in the Iroquis Theatre fire.

The present church was built in 1909, under the rectorship of The Reverend Hugh Spencer.  In order to make this financially possible, Father Spencer paid for the rectory himself.  It was purchased by the church after he retired 35 years later.  At the time the church was built, the location was thought to be a God-forsaken site as there were mountains of stone on the north side and a swamp on the south side.  Father Spencer was remembered by a beautiful stained glass window over the altar, a fitting memorial.  The window represented Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

During the rectorship of The Reverend Barks, the church embarked on an extensive building program from funds left in a bequest by Mrs. E. MacKenzie.  The MacKenzie Hall was the result.  In 1965, The Reverend Albert Peters oversaw the final payment of the $80,000 mortgage.  The beauty of St. Margaret was further enhanced by the gifts of stained glass windows that made St. Margaret one of the most beautiful churches on the South Side of Chicago.  It was built as a  modern interpretation of a Gothic chapel with brick walls and a open-beamed ceiling.

During the 1960's and early 1970's the neighborhood population where St. Margaret is located, South Shore, changed from White to predominately African American.  The church experienced the same change which caused considerable turmoil and distress.  The rector during this time was The Reverend Albert Peters who worked very hard in the church and in the community to try to keep people together.  After he left, for health reasons, and the brief tenure of The Reverend Clark Willis, the congregation had diminished greatly and was ministered by supply priest.  In 1978, the Bishop, with the agreement of the church vestry, changed the parish to mission status.  The priest appointed at this time was the first African American priest of St. Margaret, The Reverend George W. Brandt, Jr.  Father Brandt brought energy and leadership to the church which began to grow again.  He also oversas much-needed major improvements to the property.  He was followed by The Very Reverend David N. Harris, a long time leader in the church and the community.  After Father Harris, the church benefitted by the leadership and spirituality of The Reverend Teena Williams, the first woman priest at St. Margaret.  

The current priest in charge is The Reverend Primitivo Racimo, a native of the Phillipines.  Click below for more on Fr. Primo: http://www.stmargaretepiscopalanglicanchicago.org/fatherprimospeaks.cfm 


Historical Information submitted by Frederica Bradford