History of the Church

St. Ann’s-by-the-Sea was established as a mission on Block Island in 1888, and served as a summer church. Land was purchased on Chapel Street, and the building was constructed in 1889. The church was later destroyed by fire, and a larger church was built on Spring Street. This church was a large Victorian-style structure with rounded shingles, tall windows, peaks and corners. From 1889 to September 21, 1938, regular services were held at the Spring Street church.

The Spring Street church building was destroyed by the hurricane of September 21, 1938, and all that remained was a communion flaggon, a chalice, the lectern bible, the baptismal font, and some pews. Due to economic conditions at that time and the subsequent involvement of the country in World War II, no attempt was made to rebuild. During the war years 1940—1947, there were no episcopal services held on Block Island. After 1947 the congregation met in the town library and other island churches, and in 1968 regular services were conducted outside at the site of the former church building and at the Harbor Baptist Church. An exterior replica of the church destroyed by the hurricane has since been built at the old site, on the original foundation. The building is now part of the 1661 Inn complex.

A building fund was established by memorial bequests, donations from members, summer visitors, yard sales, and bake sales. A gift of land from the Dunn family provided the church with a new site and enough property to build a rectory, as well as rebuild the church, consecrated July 27, 1985.

A stained glass window was installed in May of 2005, depicting St. Anne and her daughter, Mary. The window was found in storage on the mainland at Trinity Church, on Hope Street, in Bristol , Rhode Island, which was constructed in the 1940s. Trinity Church fell on hard times in the late 1950s and was forced to close. The window was commissioned by William Bradford, of Bristol, Rhode Island, to commemorate the life of his wife, Anne Wilson Nooning Bradford, and his daughter, Anne William Bradford, who both died in the 1880s. The stained glass window installation was followed by a small narthex addition, completed in December of 2007,