page_title: Bruton Parish Church
section_title: The Church today
hierarchical_section_title: Bruton Parish Church / The Church today
caption_attribution_description: English: A picture of Bruton Parish Church.
context_page_description: Bruton Parish Church is located in the restored area of Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. It was established in 1674 by the consolidation of two previous parishes in the Virginia Colony, and remains an active Episcopal parish. The building, constructed 1711–15, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970 as a well-preserved early example of colonial religious architecture.
context_section_description: Today Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area occupies 173 acres (70 ha) and includes 88 original buildings and more than 50 major reconstructions. It is joined by the Colonial Parkway to the two other sides of the Historic Triangle, Jamestown and Yorktown. At Jamestown, England established its first permanent colony in the Americas, and at Yorktown the Continental Army under George Washington won a decisive victory to end British rule.
  Bruton Parish Church today is the most active parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia. It has nearly two thousand members, four regular Sunday services, and active youth and college organizations. The Church has been restored to its appearance during the colonial era, and name plates on its box pews commemorate famous worshippers from the time, including George Washington, James Madison, John Tyler, Benjamin Harrison, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Jefferson. The church still uses a bell cast in 1761, which rang to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, marking the end of the American Revolutionary War.
  The bell in the tower is engraved: "The Gift of James Tarpley to Bruton Parish, 1761." In 1766 it celebrated the repeal of the Stamp Act. On May the 15th, it celebrated the passing of a resolution by the House of Burgesses to establish a State Constitution and Declaration of Rights, and to instruct the Virginia Delegates in Congress to offer a resolution to declare the united Colonies free and independent states. In 1783 it celebrated the ratification of the Treaty of Peace between the United States and Great Britain." [Col. Robert Neville Mann and Catherine Creek-Mann, Camp-Kemp Family History (Cedar Bluff, Alabama: 1967), vol. I, pp. 11 - 13]'"
  And, much as the former country parish found a new role with the influx of persons visiting the new College and colonial capital in the 18th century, visitors to Colonial Williamsburg are welcomed to join locals, including students, college staff, and community leaders in worshipping there.
caption: Bruton Parish Church today
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