St. John’s in the Wilderness, Paul Smiths, is a summer chapel in the Northern Adirondack Deanery of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany. The church was founded in 1876 by Edward Trudeau, on land donated by hotelier Paul Smith, largely to minister to summer residents and guides at the hotel (now Paul Smiths College) and at the great camps of St. Regis and Spitfire Lakes. The original log cabin structure burned down in 1927, and was replaced by the current structure designed by noted Adirondack architecture William Distin. Surrounding the church is a non-denominational cemetery home to the burial sites of many notable local residents and visitors.
Services are typically held Sundays in the months of July and August, with occasional evensong and other special services. As an Episcopal church, all are joyfully welcomed to participate in worship, and all baptized Christians are welcome to receive communion.
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St. John's in the Wilderness, Paul Smiths 