Saint Paul's owes its birth to one woman - Elizabeth Pawling Ross - who in the 1840s was the only Episcopalian in Doylestown and who rode by horseback to Germantown once each month to receive Holy Communion. Perhaps at her encouragement, the Reverend George P. Hopkins journeyed to Doylestown from Philadelphia to see if he could stir any interest in founding a congregation here. The first service was held at Beneficial Hall (now the Masonic Hall) on State Street on May 18, 1845. For two years Mr. Hopkins "commuted" by stagecoach from Philadelphia to conduct a weekly service. In April, 1846, the parish was formally organized and shorlty thereafter land purchased and money raised to build a church building. The first services in the church were held on April 23, 1848.

Saint Paul's is not only a positive initial experience for some...it's often a reawakening. Countless people talk about their 'return to faith' after coming to Saint Paul's. It is a church where the traditional, Anglo-Catholic, East-facing liturgy is used. Where the Sung Eucharist, incense and the tendency to bow the head and bend the knee is standard practice. For the parishioners at Saint Paul's, the beauty of the language of the service, the formality and tradition, add reverence and respect to their worship.

Ours is a history of strong preaching, favoring Bible-based teaching, studies in church dogma, cultural analogies and intellectual reasoning-uniting people through messages of Christian faith, hope and love. The power of the message, united with a strong music program, elevates our senses in depicting the promised meaning of Eucharist in celebration.

Shortly after the parish was formally organized in 1845, land was purchased and money raised to build a church. On July 20, 1846, ground was broken for the church building, and the cornerstone was laid on September 6 by Bishop Alonzo Potter. The building, in what was called “the English Style”, was designed by John E. Carver, a Philadelphia architect. The first services in the church were held on April 23, 1848. Two years later, the debt on the building having been paid, the building was consecrated on May 30, 1850.