Smyrna times., 1924-06-18
DELAWAREANS NOTE ANOTHER
ANNIVERSARY OF OLD SWEDES
CHURCH AT WILMINGTON CELE-
BRATES IT'S 225 YEAR SUNDAY
Services as Well as Quaint Graveyard
Draw a GOOdly CrOwd.-Past
Linked With the Present

Linked With the Present
Pilgrims with a love of the lore of
the day before yesterday, turned their
steps toward the Old Swedes' Church |
of Wilmington, which celebrated the |
225th anniversary of its conservation
on Sunday. The old church editice
rises against a modern skyline, at 7th
and Church Sts., a sombre spectre of
the folk from Sweden who settled
along the banks of the Delaware be-
fore the coming of William Penn. Into
the graveyard the pilgrims passed,
through an old archway which
banishes ones thought of today, and
even yesterday, into the spell cast by
the memories of a well-nigh forgotten
people who settled Fort Christiana in
1888 on the site of what is now the
thriving city of Wilmington. Old
Swedes' Church is officially known as
Holy Trinity Church and claims the
distinction of being the oldest active
place of worship in the United States.
The congregation began its history in
1888, when the Swedish emigrants
built a chapel in Fort Christiana,
which they erected on the banks of
the Christiana river.
In 1898, under the pastorate of Eric
Biork, Swedish missionary, the pres
ent church building was erected. Until
1889 the church remained under the
jurisdiction of the Swedish Lutheran
Church, when it was consecrated as an
Episcopal church on Trinity Sunday.
This year, the anniversary of this con-
secration, was celebrated with a series
of special services starting with
solemn communion at o'clock in the
morning.
The church is a precious gem of an
cient Swedish church architecture,
little changed by time except for the
subtle charm that only great age can
bring. The walls are heavy gray
stones, unreIeved by ornamentatiOn
inside and out. The church floor is
heavy, red brick, while the old high
back box pews lend the last sOmbre
touch to the interior.
In the churchyard there is a much
visited tombstone which best express
es the attitude of the Swedish colon
lists toward the rigors of their pioneer
existence in those very early days. 1t
is the tombstone of Thomas Cox, who
died February 27, 1901. 1t reads:
Adieu vain world have had enough of thee
And now I am careless of what thou sayest Of
| ne.
Thy smiles I court not. nor thy frowns do
fear;
My cares are past and I rest quiet here.
The faults you have seen in me take care to
shun,
And look at home-enough is to be done.
In this graveyard there are nearly
$4,000 people buried, many of them
pre-Revolutionary folk and gOOdly
sprinkling of Revolutionary soldiers
The oldest tombstone is that of Will
liam Vandevere, a familiar name il
this graveyard. He died in 1856
Then there is a whole section devoted
to the graves of French refugees whC
fled here from St. Domingo before the
Revolution.
Here lies Joseph Eugene Capelle
who was surgeon under Lafayette ant
also the Rev. Peter Tranberg, Ewed
ish pastor of the church in the earl,
days, who died in 1748.
In the robing room of the churcl
, there are ancient portraits of Fri
}. Bjork, Israel Acralius, the historic
), of the old Swedish settlement an
:, Peter Tranberg.
: The wanderer amid this solem
y church of long ago comes across
e modern building to the side which
e one of the interesting phases of il
r history. With the passing of almoS
k all traces of the ancient Swedish sci
# Element, this section of WilmingtO
e welcomed a new group of .emigran'
d from other lands. The church stanC
d amid foreign settlement and to tn
l. newer group of strange people IL
present church ministers. This new'
IS building is a community house devO
ID ed to healthy sports and activitie
> Here a boy scout troop meets and
in community Kindergarten.
s. Wandering out of the churchya
the pilgrimage ends by the bank
t., the Christiana river, at the steambO
tie landing, where the old rock up
which the Swedish settlers landed
W. March 20, 1888, is preserved behi
Os-. an iron railing. 1t stands near t
S"' old entrance of Fort Christiana, abe
which the life of the early settleme
was grouped. Here the Old SweC
Church had its beginnings, in
chapel standing nearby, which
Re long since disappeared, like the r;
of sturdy men who lived through
. bleak winters there in gloomy fOl
tude.