Parish History
Army chapel transplanted to
Morro Bay at the corner of
2nd and E Streets.  This is
the view from E Street (now
Shasta Avenue) looking
West.
1950:  Painting progresses;
the street remains unpaved.
Photo by Bill Morley
St. Peter's first
permanent home.  1951
Photo by Bill Morley
Forecasting a future of healthy growth for the Morro Bay
area, Bishop Karl Block, in 1948, purchased a plot of land
at the corner of what was known as 2nd and E streets (now
Driftwood street and Shasta Avenue).  On the property was
an older 3-bedroom home (which served as the vicarage
until 1955).
A seminary student, Wilfred Hodgkin,  
was sent by the Bishop to Morro Bay t
survey the town.  Hodgkin walked all
over Morro Bay knocking on doors and
gathered a group of Episcopalians.

Worship services, under Hodgkin's
leader-ship, began in an old school
house on Main Street near 8th Street
(now Beach Street.
The group very soon moved to a quonest hut (belonging to
the AmVets) situated behind the Creamery Building (a soda
fountain that also sold hand packed ice cream by the quart)
at the South-east corner of 5th Street (now Morro Bay Blvd)
and C Street (now Monterey Ave)

By 1949 Hodgkin had been ordained as a transitional
Deacon  and then as a Priest and the congregation was
meeting upstairs (above the Post Office and Payne's
Variety Store) at the North-east corner of 5th Street and
Monterey Ave.

At about that time Bishop Block arranged for the purchase
of an army chapel from Camp San Luis Obispo.  The
Reverend Hodgkin arranged for the cutting of the building
into secions and moving it  to the property in Morro Bay to
be placed on the concrete foundation which had been
prepared.  This involved members of the congregation, a
professional moving company, and the Highway Patrol that
overlooked some of the activity (such as the parishioners
who sat atop the sections with sticks to lift power lines as
the load moved along the streets).
The temporary altar in
the AmVets quonset
hut.  The screen hides
the slot machines.
The first Easter in
the converted army
chapel.
In 1950 the first
wedding took place.
Doris Susbuer and
Bill Burroughs.
click on images for a larger version
1951 Choir, Acolytes, Organist,
and Vicar:  Front row, l-r:  
Unidentified, Leon Carver;
second row:  Louise Parker,
Barbara Hutton, Alexis Carnes;
rear:  Alan Carnes, Lloyd Carver,
Dick Welch, Jesse Platt
(organist),
The Rev. Wilfred Hodgkin, Vicar.
Photo by Bill Morley, chorister
In November 1951, The Reverend Hodgkin, then about 32
years of age, accepted a call to St. Paul's in Walnut Creek.  
From there he was later called, to Christ's Church in
Alameda where he served the balance of his ministry.

The Reverend Leonard Wood (retired), was put in charge
pending the assignment of a permanent priest from the
June graduation class of the seminary.  The Reverend
Wood was approximately 75-years-old.
In June Transitional Deacon George
Graydon, about 30, was put
in charge and soon became ordained as a
priest.  He remained
until 1955 when he was called to Holy
Innocents, San Francisco.

The Reverend John Speers (35) served for
a short period, from
February to August, 1955.  He became a
chaplain in the army.
1952:  Taken from the location of the current
Presbyterian Church.  The Vicarage is to the
left of the church.  The street is paved.
Photo by Bill Morley
In August, 1953,
St. Peter's
celebrated the first
wedding of a
member of the
congregation.  
Louise Parker and
Carl Morley.
Nearly five months passed without a
priest-in-charge.  A not-too-large
handful of congregants kept the
church going under Warden Ray Owen.  
At Christmas, 1955, a retired priest,  
The Reverend David Robertson, then
over eighty years old, was temporarily
assigned to serveSt. Peter's, and did
so until November, 1956.

Also in 1955, a new 3-bedroom house
at 474 Bernardo Avenue was
purchased to serve as a vicarage and
the old vicarage was converted to use
for Sunday School classes.

In November, 1956,  Deacon Richard
Engeseth (about 29 years of age)     
came to the church.  He was soon
ordained to the priesthood and served  
until January, 1960 when he went to
the Cathedral in Reno, Nevada
In 1959 the altar area was redisigned by Betty Carlisle
Pollock.  The new area featured an open altar with a large
wooden Celtic cross suspended above it.
In March, 1960, the Rev. Graham Lesser                       
(about 38) became vicar.  Almost a full year later, on
February 9, 1961 ,the church building was totally destroyed
by fire.

Under the leadership of The Rev. Lesser, Dr. Philip
Overmeyer, warden, and the building committee (William
Boehm, Ad Morosin, Eleanor Morley, Gertrude Bertarini,
and Mrs. Terry Custer-Gullett) the old vicarage was sold
and moved off the property (to 490 Bernardo Ave.), the
property was cleared, and  a new church and parish hall
were built.  The new buildings were dedicated by Bishop
James Pike in October, 1962.

At the Ground Breaking for the new church, the first
spadeful was turned by Lillian Roy (Morro Bay 1960
"Mother of the Year" and affectionately known as either
Mother Roy or Grandmother Roy by everyone in the
congregation.