Old Narragansett Church
Encyclopedia
Old Narragansett Church, also known as Old St. Paul's Church and St. Paul's Episcopal Church, is a historic Episcopal church located at 60 Church Lane in Wickford, Rhode Island
and is purported to be the oldest Episcopal church building in the Northeast
.
currently owns the building, and it is administered by a trust which has representatives of the modern Saint Paul's Church in Wickford. A more modern church building, known as St. Paul's Church
, is located nearby and currently the congregation meets there. The portraitist, Gilbert Stuart
, was baptized in Old Narragansett Church in 1756. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and has a small churchyard cemetery.
Wickford, Rhode Island
Wickford is a small village in the town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States, which is named after Wickford in Essex, England. Wickford is located on the west side of Narragansett Bay, just about a 20 minute drive across two bridges from Newport, Rhode Island...
and is purported to be the oldest Episcopal church building in the Northeast
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
.
History
The church congregation was founded in 1706 as St. Paul's Church and was established by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. The church building was constructed in 1707. The church contains box pews, a balcony, and an organ built in 1680 by Bernard Smith, which is among the oldest organs still used in services in the United States. The Episcopal Diocese of Rhode IslandEpiscopal Diocese of Rhode Island
The Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the state of Rhode Island. It is one of seven New England dioceses that make up Province 1....
currently owns the building, and it is administered by a trust which has representatives of the modern Saint Paul's Church in Wickford. A more modern church building, known as St. Paul's Church
St. Paul's Church (North Kingstown, Rhode Island)
St. Paul's Church is a historic church at 76 Main Street in the village of Wickford within the town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island.The church was built in 1847 by Thomas Tefft and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.-See also:...
, is located nearby and currently the congregation meets there. The portraitist, Gilbert Stuart
Gilbert Stuart
Gilbert Charles Stuart was an American painter from Rhode Island.Gilbert Stuart is widely considered to be one of America's foremost portraitists...
, was baptized in Old Narragansett Church in 1756. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and has a small churchyard cemetery.
See also
- St. Paul's Church (North Kingstown, Rhode Island)St. Paul's Church (North Kingstown, Rhode Island)St. Paul's Church is a historic church at 76 Main Street in the village of Wickford within the town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island.The church was built in 1847 by Thomas Tefft and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.-See also:...
- Oldest churches in the United StatesOldest churches in the United StatesThe designation of the oldest church in the United States requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest Christian church congregation...
- List of the oldest buildings in Rhode Island