DeFUNIAK SPRINGS Three Northwest Florida churches St. Agatha s Episcopal in DeFuniak Springs, St. Mary s Episcopal in Milton and First Presbyterian in Lynn Haven are the area s only remaining examples of an architectural style that, while integral to a spiritual sense of place, also presents challenges for preservation.
The Carpenter Gothic style in church construction traces its roots to the late 1700s and early 1800s as the Anglican Church moved from what had been an austere worship style altars had been eliminated from churches, and communion was not celebrated back to a more ritualized form of worship.
That movement coincided with a revival of Gothic architecture, a masonry-oriented approach which featured high walls, vaulted ceilings and delicate stonework as seen in grand cathedrals. Eventually, though, the style made its way to much smaller parish churches.