By Karen Gonzalez
Bruton Parish was established in 1674 from the merger of two local parishes. The church building quickly became too small for the area’s growing population and was continually expanded to accommodate more parishioners. Eventually Virginia’s royal governor, Alexander Spotswood, drafted plans for a cruciform-shaped church.
Rector James Blair oversaw the construction of the current building, which was completed in 1715.
1715 – Looking out the church window, you see that Duke of Gloucester street is awash with deep mud, horse traffic, oxen pulling carts, merchants shouting their wares and small children playing nearby. You see more slaves and indentured servants than people who can afford to own them.
Parishioners gather at the new church, which is full when the services start – ladies on the left side, gentlemen to the right – college students in the balcony - slaves in the back.
1765 – From their seats in the front of the sanctuary, Thomas Jefferson and George Wythe would surely note that Bruton Parish is a spiritual and political hub of activity. The new “Virginia liberty bell” rings in the tower for each service, calling residents to attend the church services.
Attendance is mandatory and the cost of missing too many church services is a hefty fine, public humiliation and practically irreparable damage to one’s stature in the town.
1775 – The scene from the window shows British soldiers marching down the street, 10-year-old boys lining up to play fifes and drums in the militia, and brothers, uncles and fathers leaving town to fight in a bloody revolutionary war. We colonists are forced to decide where our loyalty lies; and the church services often smack of politics. We can’t just be neutral anymore – and a decision for either side has life-changing consequences.
1862 – Peeking in the window of the church, you find the building transformed to a hospital. Soldiers wounded in the war between the states are being cared for, and you hear the soft prayers of women ministering to them. They pull a Book of Common Prayer from their deep pockets, smuggled in so they can minister to the wounded and dying soldiers outside of the prying eyes of the Union soldiers.
If you’ve come in looking for a church service, you have to go to Rev. Thomas Ambler’s house. He’s been conducting services there since the Union army forced him from the church building.
1915 – Look at the horses and cars mingling on Duke of Gloucester Street.
Many of the old houses are falling down but there are some new businesses, too — hardware stores, a tire shop and a general store or two.
2014 – Looking in the window at Bruton Parish; you see a full, thriving church, with many services, concerts and tours.
As it has for over 300 years, the cycle of life is reflected in weddings and funerals.
The wars and turmoil of the 18th and 19th-centuries are distant memories, but history continues to live through the stories told many times a day. Look out the window onto Duke of Gloucester street and you will see many signs of both the past and the present, thanks in part to the vision and generosity of men like the Rev. W.A.R. Goodwin and John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
From 1715 to the present, Bruton Parish Church has been a sacred place of continuous ministry to all who cross its threshold. All people, from slaves to governors and tourists to movie stars have found peace and comfort inside the ancient brick walls.
Special events are planned over the next 18 months as part of the 300th anniversary celebration.
A partial schedule is below:
Thursday, Nov. 27, 2014 – Opening of a special Bruton Parish Anniversary exhibit at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, in front of the Hennage Auditorium
Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015 – Special concert collaboration with the first African-American church in Williamsburg celebrating Black History Month
April 2015 – Special guest speaker, The Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
- Premieres of specially-commissioned music from internationally acclaimed composers
- Special guest speaker, The Right Rev. Michael Curry from the Diocese of North Carolina
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015 – Concerts and lectures throughout this month will celebrate the relationship between Bruton Parish and Colonial Williamsburg during the restoration years at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and the Wren Chapel at the College of William and Mary.
More information is available at brutonparish.org
