Religion Month is a great time to revisit Bruton Parish Church — a 300-year old structure that still operates as a modern Episcopalian parish. This distinctive brick building was completed in 1715 as the third Anglican church to serve the Virginia colony since 1660.
Over the years, the congregation has featured such notables as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee, George Wythe, George Mason, and Patrick Henry. Influential Virginians including Thomas Ludwell, Governor Edward Nott, and Martha Custis Washington’s first husband Daniel Parke Custis lie buried in the adjacent graveyard. The church held fast through both the American Revolution and the Civil War, serving as a hospital in both conflicts.
At the turn of the 20th century, the Reverend Dr. W. A. R. Goodwin raised funds to restore the church to its original colonial look. Despite his efforts, the building was nearing ruin by the 1930s, prompting the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to assist with the repairs.
Áine Cain is a sophomore at the College of William and Mary and an intern with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
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Watch Williamsburg Before and After
Jolinda says
We just returned today from a visit to Williamsburg. Where are all the gravestones from the church yard? I understand the need to rope it off and not let people walk there anymore, but taking up the stones? I spent my honeymoon 32 years ago in Williamsburg. We visited the graveyard many times that week. (I married a history major.) We enjoyed reading the stones and wondering about the stories behind some of them.
The stones actually haven’t been taken up, though access to the church yard has been restricted in order to preserve the stones’ current condition. They are still there, though.