The Washington herald., 1907-03-20
HISTORIC CHURCHES OF
THE UNITED STATES
BY FREDERIC j. HAsKIN
BY FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN.

To tell the story Of the old churches Of
the United states is almost like recount
ing the history Of America itself, 50 in
separabiv are the two linked together.
The early pioneers to this continent were
missionaries. jealous for the redemption
of the souls OF the red men of the newly
acquired territories of new France or
new Spain, or devout eolonists eager to
find freedom to worship God. The first
ehapels, churches and plain little meet
ing houses. that were built with great
difficulty and often at great personal sac
rifce. have become valuable milestones on
the great road of history. Kings and
regicides have worshiped in them; Pres
idents and slaves have kneit at the same
altars; prayers for principalities and re-
publlcs have ascended from the same
congregations: battles have been fought
and won over the gravestenes and
through the very doors of the sanctuaries
in border churches. and invading armies
have used the floors for stables and the
pews for managers.
A bit OF ruined tower on an island in
the Lower James River is all that is left
of Americas first Protestant church.
This corner stone Of the worlds greatest
nation stands on the spot where John
Smith and the good Master Hunt placed
logs for seats, tackled an old sail over
head for a roof and instituted the first
religious service In English-speaklng
America. A log church was built as soon
as the men had time, and later one was
F-saE Z Isa rrrfF7 saf NJ
be seen to-day.
Soon the congregation scattered out be-
yond the river banks and pierced the
wilderness beyond The island was low
and unhealthy, and In 1905 the capital was
removed 10 Williamsburg. The wind and
the rain and the waters from the river
came TO take tribute of the old church.
and by the beginning Of the nineteenth
century it was a deserted ruin Acorns
that fell in the old graveyard when the
timid Princess PocahOntas was a captive
in jamestown have grown to giant trees.
One of these has forced its way through
great stone slab shatteTing IL TO bits
and raising a portion OF II in a crotch OF
the tree far above the earth The tonbs
OF the Lees, The AmbleTs. the Blairs and
the Jacquelines are there, and Dame
Frances Berkeley" sleeps far from her
stern old husband. who died OF "A broken
heart in England. scOrned by the king he
served The large silver chalice and
paten used by this congregation and the
silver aims basin which Gov. Andres gave
them in 1884 are preserved by the Epis-
copal Convention of Virginia. while the
silver baptismal font has reverted 10 the
heirs Of the donors the Jacquelines.
Kings Chapel. Boston. was the first
Episcopal church in New England,
though over 100 years ago the minister
and the whole congregation turned Uni
tartan. The first building was put up in
1858, and the present one in 1913. The
furniture was given by William III and
by George III When the Tory preacher,
the Rev. Gamer, returned TO England al
the outbreak Of the Revolution, he took
the plate back with him, deeming it too
sacred for rebel uses Royal governors
sat in a certain high-baeked pew there
under the royal arms still on the walls,
and when Washington was there as COM
mander-in chief of the Colonial forces,
he too, sat in this same pew. When the
Revolutionary war had closed, the mem-
bers declared the name Kings Chapel
unsuited TO a republican country. but the
name was finally retained when it was
suggested that il might be interpreted as
referring to the King of Kings and not
10 the ruler of country under whose
dominion the church was no longer held.
a row Of pipes from the old organ which
Handel himself selected is still in use.
and carvings from the front OF the organ
which Queen Anne gave are preserved
among the church's treasures.
The timbers for the san Luis Rey Mis-
sion in California were cut from d forest
twenty miles from the site of the church.
and after being blessed by the priests
where they We're hewn. were not allowed
TO touch the ground again until they were
placed on the walls. The weary Indians
who We're made 10 carry these timbers
sometimes rebelled. and at Santa Barbara
they were locked fast in a stockade at
night 10 keep them from going back to
the happier existence Of the savage The
Santa Barbara garden is always closed
20 women. The priests reserve this for
their own private enjoyment. and walk
ana mediate there undisturbed. Only
TWO women have ever been allowed TO
enter. These were Princess Louise
daughter of Queen Victoria, who spent
winter in Santa Barbara, and Mrs Nc
kinley. Dolores Mission. in San Fran
cisco was founded in 1776. and when a
newer edifice was built near bv 3 few
years ago, the parishioners refused TO
use H. and continue to frequent the old
adobe house, which the earthquake has
kindly spared
New fork's oldest church building is St
Pauls, dating from 1896, while Trinity
Is the oldest and richest organization.
The land owned bv Trinity uras r,art Of
the old West India Company's farm be-
fore the English came to take possession
of the island. 1t then became the Kings
farm and he granted il to the church.
Much OF the land has been given away for
charitable purposes. but the church has
still enough left to yield an income Of
S5aoo0 a year. The money is used to
maintain the church, its six ehapels. and
its many missions and charities. The
graveyard is said to be worth as much
money as gold dollars placed side by side
and stood up edgewise would cover. II
can never be sold, and the dead there In
reach Of busy Wall street can lie forever
undisturbed Alexander Hamilton was
buried there after his fatal meeting with
Aaron Burr, and his wife was laid by his
side fifty years later A monument to the
memory Of the patriot soldiers who died
on the prison ships during the Revolution
Is in this churchyard.
New Orleans has a miracle chanel
where the visitors may see stacks Of
erutches that were made useless by the
intercession of the saint The chanel was
built BY a priest with his own hands in
fuldIlment of vow that If the great