Historic Shrines of America: Being the Story of One Hundred and Twenty Historic Buildings and the Pioneers Who Made Them NotableFaris, John T. (John Thomson)
History
Historic Shrines of America: Being the Story of One Hundred and Twenty Historic Buildings and the Pioneers Who Made Them Notable
Faris, John T. (John Thomson)
Historic buildings -- United States; United States -- Biography
"There is still some plastering to be done in the tower, and
the pews are to be made or bought. The church cannot be
completed until the money is raised. Can no generous giver be
found who will contribute the money necessary to bring the
east window from London?... For sixty odd years the church
has stood there silent, without a service, facing and defying
storms and decay, appealing in its desolation to every
sentiment of the State, of the Church and of the Nation
against abandonment and desertion, and now in its half
completed condition, feeling the touch of revival and
restoration, it pleads more imploringly still for just enough
money to complete the repairs and to enable it once more to
enter upon its life of activity, and to utter again with
renewed joyousness the ancient but long suppressed voice of
prayer and of thanksgiving. Shall it appeal in vain?"
The appeal was not in vain. The church was completed. Twelve beautiful
memorial windows were put in place. These bore the names of George
Washington, Joseph Bridger, the architect of the church, Robert E.
Lee, Rev. William Hubbard, the first rector, Sir Walter Raleigh, John
Rolfe, Captain John Smith, Bishops Madison, Moore, Meade, and Johns,
and Dr. Blair, whose connection with Bruton Church and William and
Mary College is told in another chapter of this volume.
A building that is similar and yet in many respects quite different is
in New Kent County, about as far above Williamsburg as Smithfield is
below that university town. This is St. Peter's Church. It is thought
that the parish dates from 1654, though the present building was not
begun until 1701. The minute which tells of the first plan for the
structure is dated August 13, 1700:
"Whereas, the Lower Church of this Parish is very much out of
Repair and Standeth very inconvenient for most of the
inhabitants of the said parish; Therefore ordered that as
soon as conveniently may be a new Church of Brick Sixty feet
long and twenty fower feet wide in the clear and fourteen
feet pitch with a Gallery Sixteen feet long be built and
Erected upon the Main Roade, by the School House near Thomas
Jackson's; and the Clerk is ordered to give a copy of this
order to Capt. Nich. Merewether who is Requested to show the
same to Will Hughes and desire him to draw a Draft of said
Church and to bee at the next vestry."
The cost of the new church was one hundred and forty-six thousand
pounds of tobacco. This included the main building only, for the
belfry was not built until 1722.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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