Saint John's Church, Richmond, Virginia
Encyclopedia
St. John's is an Episcopal church located at 2401 East Broad Street in Richmond, Virginia
. Formed from several earlier churches, St. John's is the oldest church in Richmond, built by Col. Richard Randolph in 1741 and giving its name to the Church Hill
district. It was the site of two important conventions in the period leading to the American Revolutionary War
, and is most famous as the location where Patrick Henry
gave his closing speech at the Second Virginia Convention with the famous quotation "give me liberty or give me death."
's progressive development at Henricus
(also known as the "Cittie of Henricus", "Henricopolis" or "Henrico Town").
Founded in the Virginia Colony in 1611, Henricus was notable for a number of "firsts". It was the first to allocate land to individuals and the site of the first "College" in the English colonies, a school modeled after those in England of that era. The College at Henricus was to include education for the children of the Native Americans.
It was at Henricus that Pocahontas
, the Native American daughter of Chief Powhatan
, leader of the Powhatan Confederacy, was held in captivity by the colonists. During the year-long wait, the first rector of the church, Reverend Alexander Whitaker
, an Englishman, taught her about Christianity
and helped to improve her English. After she was baptized, her name was changed to "Rebecca". She married John Rolfe
, who established Varina Farms, a plantation
across the James River
. Rolfe smuggled seeds sweet Spanish tobacco into Virginia, where it rapidly replaced the much harsher local strains.
Reverend Whitaker was drowned in the James River in 1617. His associate, Reverend William Wickham, held the Henrico Parish Church together awaiting the arrival from England of the Reverend Thomas Bargrave in 1619. Also in 1619, Henricus became located in Henrico Cittie
(sic), one of four large "incorporations" or "burroughs" formed by the Virginia Company of London in 1619.
Henricus was an outpost of Jamestown
, one of the most westerly-located of the developments at the time. This proved a severe disadvantage on Good Friday
in 1622, when the entire development at Henricus and the church there were destroyed in the Indian Massacre of 1622
. A third of the English colonists in Virginia were killed.
The Virginia Company lost its charter in 1624 and Virginia became a royal colony. Henricus was not rebuilt, but its long-lost site, now located in Chesterfield County
(formed from Henrico in 1749), was discovered in the late 20th century. A county historical park is located there.
(also called "Henrico Parish" in early years). The Shire of Henrico (soon renamed Henrico County, Virginia|Henrico County) was formed in 1634 as one of the eight original shires of Virginia
.
The initial county seat
was at Varina, which officially became a town in 1680. In those days before separation of church and state
, the parish boundaries were the same as the shire/county.
Notable among Henrico Parish's leaders was the Reverend Dr. James Blair (1656-1743), who was named Commissary in the Virginia Colony for the Bishop of London
, making him the colony's highest-ranking religious leader. At the urging of the House of Burgesses
, he became a founder and the first president of the College of William and Mary
. In doing so, James Blair is said to have used some of the plans of the ill-fated earlier College at Henricus. Apparently taking no chances, the newer College was sited at the fortified location of Middle Plantation
in James City County
, to which the capital was later moved from Jamestown, and the community was renamed Williamsburg
. There, Reverend Dr. Blair became the rector of Bruton Parish Church
.
Exact locations of the church buildings at Varina are unknown. A 3rd or 4th church building was built a few miles east of Varina Farms on a plantation known as "Curles"
some 20 miles east of the present city of Richmond in the current Varina District of Henrico County. The only relic of that church still surviving is the bowl of the baptismal font in use today at St. John's. http://www.ego.net/us/va/ric/tts/history.htm
neighborhood on land donated by William Byrd II
. Byrd also donated timber used to build the church and for the fire used to fire the kiln and bake the bricks for the foundation. Henrico's county seat was also moved from Varina to Richmond in 1752, to a building still extent at present-day 22nd and Main Streets nearby, where it remained until the 1970s.
The builder of the new church was Col. Richard Randolph (1686-1748), great-uncle to Thomas Jefferson. The original 1741 church building was completed on June 10, 1741. It remains as the transept
of the current church, built along east-west lines. In 1772, a 40 foot square extension was added to the northern side, orienting the church towards the south, to which end the altar was moved.
. Reverend Miles Selden was the rector of St. John's church at the time, and when the Convention assembled, he was chosen as Chaplain. Selden was popularly referred to as the "Patriot Parson." Among the 120 delegates were Thomas Jefferson
and George Washington
. Other notable delegates were Benjamin Harrison
, Thomas Mann Randolph, Richard Bland
, Richard Henry Lee
and Francis Lightfoot Lee
. Debate centered around the perceived need to raise a militia to resist encroachments on civil rights by the British Government under King George III
. Patrick Henry
, a delegate from Hanover County, rose in support of a militia and, with his fiery speech (concluding with the words "Give me liberty or give me death!"), swayed the vote.
Under a Resolution offered by Richard Henry Lee, the House of Burgesses
on May 15, 1776 resolved that "the delegates appointed to represent this colony in General Congress be instructed to propose to that respectable body to declare the united Colonies free and independent states."
It is also notable that the Second Virginia Convention authorized Baptist
chaplains to minister to soldiers, an important early step to Freedom of Religion
in what became the Commonwealth of Virginia.
, in January 1781, General Benedict Arnold
, the traitor who was then serving on the British side, quartered his troops in the church when Richmond was occupied.
Although an active church with a ministry and congregation, a small souvenir shop is located within the churchyard, from which regular tours depart, beginning with the tombstones (some of archaic design) marking the graves of many prominent Richmond and Virginia residents and concluding inside the church where the background to the historic events preceding and during the Revolutionary War is described.
George Wythe
, the first law professor in the United States, a delegate to the Continental Congress
and signer of the Declaration of Independence
, is buried in the churchyard.
Elizabeth Arnold Poe
, mother of author Edgar Allan Poe
, is buried in the churchyard. Her exact burial spot is unknown, but a memorial marks the general area.
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. Formed from several earlier churches, St. John's is the oldest church in Richmond, built by Col. Richard Randolph in 1741 and giving its name to the Church Hill
Church Hill
Church Hill, also known as the St. John's Church Historic District, is an Old and Historic District in Richmond, Virginia. This district encompasses the original land plat of the city of Richmond. Church Hill is the eastern terminus of Broad Street, a major east-west thoroughfare in the Richmond...
district. It was the site of two important conventions in the period leading to the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, and is most famous as the location where Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...
gave his closing speech at the Second Virginia Convention with the famous quotation "give me liberty or give me death."
Henricus
The earliest precursor of St. John's was Henrico Parish Church, initially located at Sir Thomas DaleThomas Dale
Sir Thomas Dale was an English naval commander and deputy-governor of the Virginia Colony in 1611 and from 1614 to 1616. Governor Dale is best remembered for the energy and the extreme rigour of his administration in Virginia, which established order and in various ways seems to have benefited the...
's progressive development at Henricus
Henricus
The "Citie of Henricus" — also known as Henricopolis or Henrico Town or Henrico — was a settlement founded by Sir Thomas Dale in 1611 as an alternative to the swampy and dangerous area around the original English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia...
(also known as the "Cittie of Henricus", "Henricopolis" or "Henrico Town").
Founded in the Virginia Colony in 1611, Henricus was notable for a number of "firsts". It was the first to allocate land to individuals and the site of the first "College" in the English colonies, a school modeled after those in England of that era. The College at Henricus was to include education for the children of the Native Americans.
It was at Henricus that Pocahontas
Pocahontas
Pocahontas was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in Tidewater Virginia...
, the Native American daughter of Chief Powhatan
Chief Powhatan
Chief Powhatan , whose proper name was Wahunsenacawh , was the paramount chief of Tsenacommacah, an alliance of Algonquian-speaking Virginia Indians in the Tidewater region of Virginia at the time English settlers landed at Jamestown in 1607...
, leader of the Powhatan Confederacy, was held in captivity by the colonists. During the year-long wait, the first rector of the church, Reverend Alexander Whitaker
Alexander Whitaker
Alexander Whitaker was a Christian theologian who settled in North America in Virginia Colony in 1611 and established two churches near the Jamestown colony, and was known as "The Apostle of Virginia" by contemporaries....
, an Englishman, taught her about Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and helped to improve her English. After she was baptized, her name was changed to "Rebecca". She married John Rolfe
John Rolfe
John Rolfe was one of the early English settlers of North America. He is credited with the first successful cultivation of tobacco as an export crop in the Colony of Virginia and is known as the husband of Pocahontas, daughter of the chief of the Powhatan Confederacy.In 1961, the Jamestown...
, who established Varina Farms, a plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
across the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
. Rolfe smuggled seeds sweet Spanish tobacco into Virginia, where it rapidly replaced the much harsher local strains.
Reverend Whitaker was drowned in the James River in 1617. His associate, Reverend William Wickham, held the Henrico Parish Church together awaiting the arrival from England of the Reverend Thomas Bargrave in 1619. Also in 1619, Henricus became located in Henrico Cittie
Henrico City (Virginia Company)
Henrico City was one of four incorporations established in the Virginia Colony in 1619 North America by the proprietor, the Virginia Company. The plantations and developments were divided into four "incorporations" or "citties", as they were called. These were Charles City, Elizabeth City, Henrico...
(sic), one of four large "incorporations" or "burroughs" formed by the Virginia Company of London in 1619.
Henricus was an outpost of Jamestown
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
, one of the most westerly-located of the developments at the time. This proved a severe disadvantage on Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
in 1622, when the entire development at Henricus and the church there were destroyed in the Indian Massacre of 1622
Indian massacre of 1622
The Indian Massacre of 1622 occurred in the Colony of Virginia, in what now belongs to the United States of America, on Friday, March 22, 1622...
. A third of the English colonists in Virginia were killed.
The Virginia Company lost its charter in 1624 and Virginia became a royal colony. Henricus was not rebuilt, but its long-lost site, now located in Chesterfield County
Chesterfield County, Virginia
Chesterfield County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. In 2010, its population was estimated to be 316,236. Chesterfield County is now the fourth-largest municipality in Virginia . Its county seat is Chesterfield...
(formed from Henrico in 1749), was discovered in the late 20th century. A county historical park is located there.
Varina, Henrico Parish
Despite the destruction of Henricus, the Colony continued to grow, and a small village of the colonists grew at Rolfe's Varina Farms Plantation which became known as VarinaVarina, Virginia
Varina is a former unincorporated town and current magisterial district in the easternmost portion of Henrico County, Virginia, United States....
(also called "Henrico Parish" in early years). The Shire of Henrico (soon renamed Henrico County, Virginia|Henrico County) was formed in 1634 as one of the eight original shires of Virginia
Shires of Virginia
The eight Shires of Virginia were formed in 1634 in the Virginia Colony. These shires were based on a form of local government used in England at the time, and were redesignated as counties a few years later...
.
The initial county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
was at Varina, which officially became a town in 1680. In those days before separation of church and state
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
, the parish boundaries were the same as the shire/county.
Notable among Henrico Parish's leaders was the Reverend Dr. James Blair (1656-1743), who was named Commissary in the Virginia Colony for the Bishop of London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
, making him the colony's highest-ranking religious leader. At the urging of the House of Burgesses
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the first assembly of elected representatives of English colonists in North America. The House was established by the Virginia Company, who created the body as part of an effort to encourage English craftsmen to settle in North America...
, he became a founder and the first president of the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
. In doing so, James Blair is said to have used some of the plans of the ill-fated earlier College at Henricus. Apparently taking no chances, the newer College was sited at the fortified location of Middle Plantation
Middle Plantation
Middle Plantation in the Virginia Colony, was the unincorporated town established in 1632 that became Williamsburg in 1699. It was located on high ground about half-way across the Virginia Peninsula between the James River and York River. Middle Plantation represented the first major inland...
in James City County
James City County, Virginia
James City County is a county located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. Its population was 67,009 , and it is often associated with Williamsburg, an independent city, and Jamestown which is within the...
, to which the capital was later moved from Jamestown, and the community was renamed Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
. There, Reverend Dr. Blair became the rector of Bruton Parish Church
Bruton Parish Church
Bruton Parish Church is located in the restored area of Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. It was established in 1674 in the Virginia Colony, and remains an active Episcopal parish.-History of Bruton Parish Church:...
.
Exact locations of the church buildings at Varina are unknown. A 3rd or 4th church building was built a few miles east of Varina Farms on a plantation known as "Curles"
Curles Neck Plantation
Curles Neck Plantation is located between State Route 5 and the north bank of the James River in the Varina district of Henrico County, Virginia...
some 20 miles east of the present city of Richmond in the current Varina District of Henrico County. The only relic of that church still surviving is the bowl of the baptismal font in use today at St. John's. http://www.ego.net/us/va/ric/tts/history.htm
Richmond, Church Hill
Henrico Parish Church moved to Richmond in 1741 and was built in what is now the Church HillChurch Hill
Church Hill, also known as the St. John's Church Historic District, is an Old and Historic District in Richmond, Virginia. This district encompasses the original land plat of the city of Richmond. Church Hill is the eastern terminus of Broad Street, a major east-west thoroughfare in the Richmond...
neighborhood on land donated by William Byrd II
William Byrd II
Colonel William Byrd II was a planter, slave-owner and author from Charles City County, Virginia. He is considered the founder of Richmond, Virginia.-Biography:...
. Byrd also donated timber used to build the church and for the fire used to fire the kiln and bake the bricks for the foundation. Henrico's county seat was also moved from Varina to Richmond in 1752, to a building still extent at present-day 22nd and Main Streets nearby, where it remained until the 1970s.
The builder of the new church was Col. Richard Randolph (1686-1748), great-uncle to Thomas Jefferson. The original 1741 church building was completed on June 10, 1741. It remains as the transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
of the current church, built along east-west lines. In 1772, a 40 foot square extension was added to the northern side, orienting the church towards the south, to which end the altar was moved.
Second Virginia Convention
In March 1775, the Second Virginia Convention began in this church. The President of the Convention was Peyton RandolphPeyton Randolph
Peyton Randolph was a planter and public official from the Colony of Virginia. He served as speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses, chairman of the Virginia Conventions, and the first President of the Continental Congress.-Early life:Randolph was born in Tazewell Hall, Williamsburg, Virginia...
. Reverend Miles Selden was the rector of St. John's church at the time, and when the Convention assembled, he was chosen as Chaplain. Selden was popularly referred to as the "Patriot Parson." Among the 120 delegates were Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
and George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. Other notable delegates were Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
, Thomas Mann Randolph, Richard Bland
Richard Bland
Richard Bland , sometimes referred to as Richard Bland II or Richard Bland of Jordan's Point, was an American planter and statesman from Virginia...
, Richard Henry Lee
Richard Henry Lee
Richard Henry Lee was an American statesman from Virginia best known for the motion in the Second Continental Congress calling for the colonies' independence from Great Britain. He was a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and his famous resolution of June 1776 led to the United States...
and Francis Lightfoot Lee
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Francis Lightfoot Lee was a member of the House of Burgesses in the Colony of Virginia. As an active protester of issues such as the Stamp Act, Lee helped move the colony in the direction of independence from Britain. Lee was a delegate to the Virginia Conventions and the Continental Congress...
. Debate centered around the perceived need to raise a militia to resist encroachments on civil rights by the British Government under King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
. Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...
, a delegate from Hanover County, rose in support of a militia and, with his fiery speech (concluding with the words "Give me liberty or give me death!"), swayed the vote.
Under a Resolution offered by Richard Henry Lee, the House of Burgesses
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the first assembly of elected representatives of English colonists in North America. The House was established by the Virginia Company, who created the body as part of an effort to encourage English craftsmen to settle in North America...
on May 15, 1776 resolved that "the delegates appointed to represent this colony in General Congress be instructed to propose to that respectable body to declare the united Colonies free and independent states."
It is also notable that the Second Virginia Convention authorized Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
chaplains to minister to soldiers, an important early step to Freedom of Religion
Freedom of religion
Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any...
in what became the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Third Virginia Convention
The Third Virginia Convention was held at St. John's Church on July 17, 1775 to organize the troops and the war effort of Virginia. George Washington of Fairfax had been appointed head of the American Army. The delegates acknowledged the debt to Patrick Henry whose wisdom had already begun the arming of the colony, and he was named the first Governor of Virginia.American Revolutionary War
During the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, in January 1781, General Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
, the traitor who was then serving on the British side, quartered his troops in the church when Richmond was occupied.
Tourism
George Wythe
George Wythe
George Wythe was an American lawyer, a judge, a prominent law professor and "Virginia's foremost classical scholar." He was a teacher and mentor of Thomas Jefferson. Wythe's signature is positioned at the head of the list of seven Virginia signatories on the United States Declaration of Independence...
, the first law professor in the United States, a delegate to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
and signer of the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
, is buried in the churchyard.
Elizabeth Arnold Poe
Eliza Poe
Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe was an English-born American actress and the mother of the American author Edgar Allan Poe.-Life and career:...
, mother of author Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
, is buried in the churchyard. Her exact burial spot is unknown, but a memorial marks the general area.