History :

Appleton, Wisconsin, saw its first house built in 1848, its first mail delivery in 1849, its first bridge over the Fox River in 1851, its first county court session in 1852, its first paper mill in 1854 and its first Episcopal parish in 1856.

It is recorded that the Rt. Rev. Jackson Kemper, missionary bishop of practically everywhere in the upper Midwest, held the first Episcopal service in Appleton in 1854 or 1855 and most accounts say it exactly that way: 1854 or 1855 but the parish as such was officially organized in 1856, making 2006 the sesquicentennial year (150th anniversary) of All Saints Church.

Appleton's first "regular" rector was the Rev. Simeon Palmer, who lived in and also served as rector in Menasha. The Rev. Mr. Palmer started the process of constructing the first permanent church building, although he died of typhoid fever, brought on, we are told, by overwork, before it was completed.

In 1995, new stained glass windows were created for St. Mary's Chapel, designed by Thomas Dietrich. In 2003, three additional windows, depicting Old Testament scenes and designed by Philip Sealy, were dedicated by Bishop Jacobus in a ceremony that also included the naming of Grace Chapel.

In April 1999, the handicapped-access project was completed at a total cost of $317,525, adding an elevator, a wheelchair lift, and an accessible restroom to assist individuals with disabilities.

In 2002, the organ was rebuilt, enlarged, and upgraded by the John-Paul Buzzart Organ Company of Champaign, Illinois.

Anne A. Lang, a member of the parish, was ordained deacon on November 6, 2004 and assigned to All Saints.

In 2005, two gathering spaces in the Parish Center were renamed to honor key figures in the early history of the Episcopal Church in Appleton. Room 10, on the lower level, became Jackson Kemper Hall, and Room 22, where coffee hours are held after Sunday 10:00 a.m. services, has been designated the Simeon Palmer Fellowship Room.

All Saints' sesquicentennial observance began on October 2, 2005, with a commemoration of the centennial of the 1905 laying of the cornerstone of the present church and continued throughout 2006 with additional special events, choral performances, and services, including a Sesquicentennial Choral Evensong service on May 11.