The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-01-17
AMERICAS oLpEsT CHURCH.

south OF the mouth OF the james river
in the ancient county of the Isle OF
Wight, in the State Of Virginia, stands
the oldest building erected on this con-
tincnt by English-apcalsirg people, SAYS
tho Washington Star. 1t il u church
built entirely Of oak and called est.
Luke's" nnd "Old Smithficld Church.
whilo It's historic name ia The Brick
Church."
For two hundred years the house of
worship from time to time of the six
generations that sleep around it under
the fine grove of oaks. sycnmorcs, wal
nuts nnd cedars, il rcsounds with no
voice OF praisc or prayer, it having
been abandoned in the year 1856 rs a
church on account Of most Of the mem
bcrs having died or moved from tho
parish.
This venerable church was built In
the year 1852, one hundred years before
Washington was born and only twelve
years nftcr the landing of the Pilgrims
ut Plymouth Rock. The antiquity OF
the church is proven by two deeply
marked date bricks that came down
with the east wall in 1857, when the
original top fell in
The church was erected unticr the su-
pcrintcndcncy of Captain Joseph
bridges, O man OF aifai1r' in the shire
OF Isle Of Wight ut that time, and fin
isllcd after thai substantial fashion in
tended to last for ages, SO that to-day
the massive walls nrc as strong rs when
FIRST put up.
The cilanccl was the cast end q; the
nave vailed OH, eighteen by nine feet in
size. The pulpit, vine glass in shapc,
with It's handsome souDding-board
above. was set against the sinll-w;lll
ahcat the middle, and the rest c; siie
nave YVES given up to pcws- Two aisles
admitted the people, one from the tower
door, five or six feet wide, and the other
from wide, square door in the south
wall. the two forming n L.
On the other side of the chanccl were
two pcwS-onc for the warden and tho
other for the parsons family. In1mc-
diatcly over the entrance from the
tower there stretched across the church
gallery, approached by steps from tho
church end through which the parson
raadc his way from the vestry-rooni ia
the second story of the tower.
The chcnccl (eaSt> window is ciyh-
teen by twelve feet in size, square at
the bottom and IL quarter circle in
shape ut the top. 1t is composed OF
ncventccn small windows, ranging In
Size from five by two feet 20 two by ono
feet.
The oricntation is perfect, the rising
sun shooting his first rays directly
through it, Each side of the church
contains four doublc-lancat windows,
eight by six feet in size. and the second
story of the tower (vcstry-room) is
lighted by three lille-shapcd windows
about six by four feet. The vestibule
in the tower has ali elliptical window
In each side about thirty by twenty
four inches in dimensions, ond the
third story has four windows shaped
much like the chancel window. The
dividing mullions are I'LL OF ornamental
brick
The church having been abandoned
rs house Of worship In 1880 in the
year 1855 Rev. David Barr, then rector
OF the church at Smithville, Va, and
now assistant rector of the Church of
the Epiphany, Washington, d. c., IN
dcrtoolS the work of having the old
order. Since then he has devoted
rnuch time to his labor Of love and
with groat success. At this time there
Is lacking only about ono Thousand
dollars to finish the work
In the restoration of twelve of the
snail windows composing the east win
dow the nave windows and vcstry- room
windows are to be memorials In the
cast window will be one each to Wash
ingtOn (thc only memorial window to
him IN the United Statcs); Lee Bridges,
the builder OF the church; Rev. Mr..
hubbard. the last colonial pGrson Of the
church tup to 1902, when he dictl); Bish-
ops Madison, Moore, Meade and Johns,
Nirginia's four deceased chief pastors;
Sir Walter Raleigh, Captain John
Smith, John Rolfc, husband Of Poca-
h0ntas, and Rev. DR.. Blair, founder OF
William and Mary College.
The southeast corner window In the
nave will be memorial of Pocahontas,
provided principally by her descendants,
and the two opposite ones ore me-
MORALS Of Parsons Hunt nnd Whit
talcr, first end second chaplains with
Captain John Smith In the Virginia
colony. Whitaker baptized Pocahontas
and married her to Rolfe.
The first roof was put on the church
IN 1888, the second In 1897, the third
about 1921 and the present one in 1887.
The contributions Tor the work, moro
than four hundred In number, have
come in sums from one cent (thc lrst
by little Virginia girD up to two hun
dred dollars by Il Californian, and have
been made 10y rich and POOR. the cmi.
ncnt and the lowly. white end colorcd,
Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, Pres
bytcrians, Mcthodists, Baptiats and
IIDifnrioDS Az IN o,rlu 1r1 - &, 49,