Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-04-17
THE OLDEST CHURCH.
IL Was Built 100 Years Before Washing
ton WA Born,

ton Was Born.
About 200 miles south of the city OF
Washington, and few miles south of the
mouth of the James river, in the ancient
county of Isle of Wight, in the state OF
Virginia, stands the oldest building erect
ed on this continent by English-spealz-
ing people, says the Washington Star. II
is a church built entirely of brick and
called "St. Luke's" and "Old Smith
field Church." while its historic name
is The Brick Church"
For 200 years the house of worship
from time to time of the six genera
tions that sleep around it under the
fine grove of oaks, sycamores, walnuts
and cedars, it resounds with no voice
OF praise or prayer, it having been
abandoned in the year 1886 as a
church, on account of most of the
members having died or moved from
the parish.
This venerable church was built in
the year 1852. 100 years before Wash
ington was born, and only twelve years
after the landing of the pilgrims at
Plymouth Rock. The antiquity of the
church is proven by two deeply-mark-
ed date bricks that came down with the
east wall in the year 1887, when the
original top fell in.
The church was erected under the
SUPPLEMENTARY of CAPTAIN Joseph
Bridges, n 'man of affairs" in the shire
of Isle of Wight at that time and fin
ished after that substantial fashion in
tended to last for ages, so that to-day
the massive walls are as strong as when
first put up.
The church having been abandoned
as a house of worship in 1886, in tho
year 1885 the Rev. David Barr then
rector of the church at Smithville, Va,
undertook the work of having the old
church put in perfect and complete
order Since then he has devoted
much time to his labor of love and with
great success. At this time there is
lacking only about 81, 900 to finish the
work.
In the restoration of twelve of the
small windows composing the east
window, the nave windows and vestry-
room windows are to be memorials.
In the east window win be one each to
Washington (the only memorial win
dow to him in the United States); Lee
Bridges, the builder of the church;
the Rev. Mr.. Hubbard, the colonial
parson of the church Cup to 1902, when
he died); Bishops Madison, Moore,
Meade and Johns, Virginia's four de-
ceased chief pastors; Sir Waiter
Raleigh, Captain John Smith, John
Rolfe husband of Pocahontas. and tho
Rev, DR., Blair, founder of William and
Mary College.
The southeast corner window in tho
nave will be a memorial of Pocahontas,
provided principally by her descend
ents aha the two opposite ones are
memorials of Parsons Hunt and Whit
taker. first and second chaplains, with
Captain John Smith in the Virginia
colony. Whitaker baptised Pocahon-
tas and married her TO Rolfe
The first roof was put on the church
in 1868, the second in IVY, the third
about 1921, and the present ono in
1887.
The contributions for the work,
more than 400 in number, have come
in sums from one cent (the first by
little Virginia girl) up to 5000, by a
Californian, and have been made by
rich and poor, the eminent and the
lowly, white and colored Episcopa-
lians, Roman Catholics, Presbyterians,
Methodists, Baptists, and Unitarians.
At an early day it is expected that the
work will be completed, and the "Old
Brick Church" again open for the Scr
vice of God, as in the days past