St. James in the 1920s-40s: Growth, War, and the Battle for Belief

Saint James the Less Church, Scarsdale Public Library - New York Heritage Digital CollectionsSt. James the Less, Episcopal Church, in Scarsdale is celebrating its 175th anniversary. As part of that celebration, the parish has undertaken a lecture series that examines the Church's role and evolution during that period. Here, in a lecture delivered on Sunday March 9, we learn about St. James from 1920-1940, when it was the largest church in Westchester with 800 families and over 2,000 children in Sunday School. With the arrival of the train station, Scarsdale boomed and so did St. James.

Here is the history as told by Russell Grant:

A Church on the Hill in Scarsdale 1920s–1940s

St. James the Less, Episcopal Church, is the oldest church in Scarsdale, celebrating its 175th anniversary this year. As the village of Scarsdale grew and transformed over the 20s, 30s, and 40s, so too did St. James, expanding its congregation, its physical footprint, and influence.

Growth and Development in the 1920s

The town’s population surged from approximately 3,500 in 1920 to over 13,000 by 1950, reflecting its rapid transformation into a thriving suburban community. St. James’ membership increased from 190 families in 1920, to nearly 900 families by the early 40s, making it among the largest churches in Westchester County. Under the leadership of its two rectors during these three decades, Alan Chalmers and Harry Price, the church played a significant role in the social and political life of the village.

St. James expanded its physical presence under the architectural design of the eminent architect, Hobart Upjohn, who also designed the Scarsdale Community Baptist Church.

1940s and World War II

The 1940s brought new challenges as World War II reshaped both Scarsdale and St. James. During World War II, many of the church’s members played remarkable roles in the war--380 members of St. James served in the armed forces. Among them were the four siblings of the Compton family. William Compton served on a torpedo boat in the South Pacific, James Compton led a platoon onto Iwo Jima, while Ann Compton was stationed with the Red Cross in Europe. John Parker Compton, was a member of the elite 10th Mountain Division who died in combat in mountains of Italy. Another WW II veteran ‘Scarsdale Jack,’ was a celebrated fighter ace who perished in Thailand. Their valor and sacrifices stand out as extraordinary, though they were typical of a generation where all levels of society leaned into the war effort.

St. James Post-War

St. James was deeply woven into the fabric of the community. Clergy and parishioners were engaged in the ideological battles of the time. Following the war, Assistant Rector William Kernan emerged as a member of the ‘Committee of Ten,’ a part of the ‘Scarsdale Citizens Committee’, which sought to ban books they deemed subversive or sympathetic towards communism, such as works by Howard Fast, the author of Spartacus, as well as Langston Hughes. Their actions reflected the era’s heightened anxieties about Marxist influence in the school curriculum.

In 1948, the Rector, Harry Price and several parishioners protested to the State Department’s decision to grant a travel visa to Hewlett Johnson, the ‘Red Dean of Canterbury,’ a British clergyman known for his pro-Soviet views.

In the early fifties, both Harry Price and William Kernan made national news, including in Time, when they abruptly left the episcopal clergy to convert to Roman Catholicism.