St. James Episcopal Church in McLeansboro, Illinois, began as and continues to be a mission church in the Springfield Diocese. On April 18, 1880, the Rev. I. N. W. Irvine accepted the call as vicar and used a public hall for worship until November 17, 1881 when the present St. James Church was consecrated by Bishop Seymour.
 
St. James Episcopal Church is one of the best examples of religious Gothic Revival and Victorian Gothic style architecture in Hamilton County. St. James Episcopal Church was built from locally made brick and native limestone. St. James Episcopal Church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.