St. Paul’s Church Hillsboro was built in 1856-1857 and consecrated in 1858. Rev. George Beaven was the first Rector who served for 52 years until his death in 1909. The church continued until the 1950’s when it was deconsecrated and sold to an individual who intended to move it to another location. The move did not take place. In the late 1960’s, the church was purchased by members of the Beaven family and re-consecrated by the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Easton.
In the 1990’s, Rev. Marianne Ell became Rector. With her husband John and the congregation, work was begun to build a parish hall and community center on the church property. That work was suspended in 1994 when the Ells family moved. The church and the nearly finished parish hall lay empty for 20 years. In 2014, then-Bishop Bud Shand allocated funds to finish the parish hall and invited Francie Thayer to establish a Retreat House. God has been faithful in that creative journey!
