The History of St. George's Episcopal Church Community
St. George's Earliest Members The digitally restored image above (created from a photograph dated August 7, 1938) shows Rev. M.A. Frazell and the first person entered in the official church register, Army Cpt. E. Pollinick with a group of children of various races and an unidentified mother. |
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The city of Riviera Beach, Florida in which St. George's Episcopal Church is located was incorporated in 1922. After World War I the area saw a large immigration of Bahamian fisherman to the Singer Island area. The Conchs as they came to be known left their island settlement and moved to the mainland in Riviera Beach during the 1920’s, when a “land shark” extravagantly raised rents on Singer’s Island.A glimpse of this population was memorialized in the 1939 book and collection of photographs, Conch Town, done under the WPA's Florida Art and Writer's Project.
The author, Veronica Huss, wrote this:
About twenty-five years ago, a number of English people who had settled in the Bahama Islands migrated to the United States in search of wealth and better living. Some settled in Key West and a few other portions of the state, but the great majority found the little town of Riviera, seven miles north of West Palm Beach, and have remained there ever since. Because they consider the Conch a delicacy, eaten raw with lime juice, the people have become known by the name of the shell fish.
Many of the eight hundred Conch families in Riviera have traces of negro blood as a result of their stay in the Bahamas. Consequently, they are as a class, looked down upon by the other inhabitants of the locality. Originating from lowly English stock, their culture is very simple, quite like that of the negroes, and the only occupation with which they are familiar is that of boating and fishing. Racial characteristics such as these have made their stay in America a great disappointment in that they have not found the prosperous life they expected.
The citizens of Riviera Beach used their nautical legacy to help build a strong marine industry, waterfront tourism, and grow the Port of Palm Beach, which is actually in Riviera Beach, into the fourth busiest port in Florida. Today the influence of African heritage and culture is recognized as having been and continuing to be a significant and positive influence on the whole community.
Since being established in 1938, St.George's Episcopal Church has been committed to providing a place of worship, preaching the Gospel, and providing charity to neighbors.
St. George's Center was incorporated in 1998 to facilitate the long standing community service carried out by St. George's community in providing food, clothing, and assistance to indigents. Their mission is a joint one, working in cooperation with 18 Churches, 2 Synagogues,13 Kiwanis Clubs, numerous other civic organizations, city, state, and federal programs.
