"St. Paul's Church National Historic Site, New York City" by National Park Service , public domain
Saint Paul's ChurchNational Historic Site - New York |
Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site is located at 897 South Columbus Avenue in Mount Vernon, New York, just north of the New York City borough of The Bronx. Saint Paul's Church is one of New York's oldest parishes and was used as a military hospital after the American Revolutionary War Battle of Pell's Point in 1776. The 5-acre (20,000 m2) cemetery surrounding the church is also within the historic site and contains an estimated 9,000 burials dating from 1704.
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Saint Paul's Church NHS
https://www.nps.gov/sapa/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Paul's_Church_National_Historic_Site
Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site is located at 897 South Columbus Avenue in Mount Vernon, New York, just north of the New York City borough of The Bronx. Saint Paul's Church is one of New York's oldest parishes and was used as a military hospital after the American Revolutionary War Battle of Pell's Point in 1776. The 5-acre (20,000 m2) cemetery surrounding the church is also within the historic site and contains an estimated 9,000 burials dating from 1704.
Since 1665, Saint Paul's Church played a vital role in the colonial life of Eastchester, 20 miles north of New York City. Townspeople voted at the nearby Village Green; local militia drilled outside its doors. But the American Revolution changed everything. American, British and Hessian troops tore down the old wooden meetinghouse for firewood and used the unfinished stone chapel as a hospital.
Take the 5 Lexington Avenue (green) line to the Dyre Avenue station in the Bronx, the last stop. Proceed north to E. 233rd Street and make a right, going east. Walk several blocks. Make a left onto Provost, heading north. Provost becomes S. Third Ave. Continue north on S. Third Avenue to the stop sign on the right at the Salvation Army. Make a right at stop sign onto S. Columbus. Saint Paul's will be on your right. Walk from the subway to the site should be about 15 minutes, approximately 2/3 of a mile.
Rebecca Turner gravesite
Rebecca Turner gravesite
A former enslaved person, Rebecca Turner attended the church and is buried in the cemetery. A local elementary school is named after her.
Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site
Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site
The church was originally a wooden meetinghouse. This stone structure was still unfinished when US, British and Hessian troops used it for a hospital during the Revolution.
Encampment volley
Encampment volley
History is a blast, especially when costumed Revolutionary War interpreters visit the site during a special event.
Local students gather inside Saint Paul's Church
Local students gather inside Saint Paul's Church
In 2015, local students visited the site to honor Rebecca and Benjamin Turner, two former members of Saint Paul's Church. Local schools have been named after the couple.
The restored church pews
The restored church pews
The pews have been rebuilt to resemble what was here when the stone church was first opened.
Sophie Mee: A Special Teacher
Sophie J. Mee, third from left, top row, with other teachers in Mt. Vernon, New York, late 19th century. Ms. Mee -- who taught for nearly 50 years in local public schools, and achieved a widespread reputation as a "splendid teacher," is buried at St. Paul's.
Photo of man, and women, dressed in formal clothes
The First World War and St. Paul's Church
An exploration about World War I and St. Paul's Church
Anne Hutchinson's Brief residence near St. Paul's Church
An early 20th century re-enactment of a scene from Anne Hutchinson's residence near the area of St. Paul's Church in the 17th century.
Woman dressed in colonial clothing, kneeling, with her arms spread out and pointed upward
Charles Turnbull: Continental Army artillery officer buried at St. Paul's
Sandstone grave marker for Charles Turnbull, a Continental Army artillery officer, buried at St. Paul's Church, who died in 1795, at age 42.
Gravestone, with a tripartite top, and inscription, which was chalked over for this photo
Rebecca Turner
This small granite stone identifies the grave-site of Rebecca Turner, who is buried in the historic cemetery at St. Paul's Church N.H.S.
Small grey gravestone, with inscription
The Story of an American Family Buried at St. Paul's
Ralph Panno, recently buried at St. Paul's, served on a Navy minesweeper in World War II, similar in appearance to this ship.
Theodosius Fowler: : Revolutionary War Soldier, Successful Merchant in early America, buried at St. Paul’s
Portrait of Theodosius Fowler, 19th century
An End and a Beginning: St. Paul's, from church to National Park site
A service at St. Paul's Church in the 1970s.
men and women kneeling at a church service
2021 Memorial Day Commemoration at St. Paul's
This map will help visitors locate the graves of veterans buried at St. Paul's on the self guided Memorial Day tour of the historic cemetery, May 31, 2021. It was created by John R. Wright.
Map of cemetery with numbers and pictures
Bronze Tablet at St. Paul's Recalls Union Veterans & Patterns of Civil War Memory
Plaque installed in 1922 at St. Paul's Church that commemorates the annual Memorial Day assemblages there of Farnsworth Post 170 of the Grand Army of the Republic, the major Union Army, Civil War, veterans' organization.
Small, light green, rectangular metal plaque, with inscription, attached to stone side of church
Changing Use of Space: History of the Visitors' Center, museum building, at St. Paul's
Rev. Harold T. Weigle, Adeline Vitkowski and her husband, returning World War II veteran, Thomas Vitkowski, in the parish hall at St. Paul's Church, 1946,discussing renovations that will be implemented to transform the space into living quarters for the Vitkowskis.
a small dog, a man, a woman and a minister standing in a an empty building
Frederick Whittaker -- Civil War cavalry officer, best selling author & controversial Custer biographer
Cover of one of the many dime novels and adventure stories written by Frederick Whittaker and published by Beadle & Adams in the years after the Civil War.
Cover of magazine, shows two men sword fighting in a graveyard
The Historic Erben Pipe Organ at St. Paul's
A recent image of the Erben pipe organ, constructed in the 1830s, in the gallery at St. Paul's Church.
Self Guided Tour of St. Paul's Church
Interior of St. Paul's Church
Men in Bronze: Commemorating the Revolutionary War at St. Paul's
A recent image of the plaque at St. Paul's Church commemorating men buried in the historic cemetery who participated in the political and military struggles of the American Revolution.
Bronze plaque with inscription attached to outside of masonry church
The Revolutionary War "Neutral Ground" of Westchester County, New York
This drawing depicts some of the dangers of the "neutral ground," with soldiers raiding and looting a home, terrorizing a family.
Soldier pointing gun at terrified civilian, who is pointing to a fireplace
"The Main Body at the Church": St. Paul's and the Revolutionary War
Display at St. Paul's features the kinds of medical tools that would have been used in the church when it served as a field hospital, by both sides, during the Revolutionary War.
Tablet Recalls Sara D. Roosevelt’s Contribution to the Restoration of St. Paul’s Church
Sara D. Roosevelt and Anna Weigle, wife of the St. Paul's minister, dressed as Anne Hutchinson, at a tea party to help raise funds for the restoration of St. Paul's Church, 1941.
Two women seated, each holding a tea cup, and one dressed in colonial clothes
Self Guided Veterans Day Tour 2021
This map of St. Paul's, drawn by John Wright, shows the locations of the graves of eight veterans buried in the historic cemetery .
Map with small drawings and numbers
Soldier who served with two German regiments in the Union army buried at St. Paul’s
Document records Private Henry Schlote's gunshot wound at the Battle of Five Forks during the Civil War.
Writing on a document, with small picture of an eagle in the middle
Civil War Soldier Buried at St. Paul’s fought with two Zouave regiments and served with Commissary
Burial stone at St. Paul's Church National Historic Site for James Hyde, who served with two Union Army regiments in the Civil War.
Civil War veteran of "Fighting 69th" regiment buried at St. Paul's survived six months as prisoner in North Carolina
Daniel Lawlor's family gravestone monument -- tree trunk, topped with an acorn -- that was supplied by the Woodmen of the World insurance company. His small veterans' stone is also visible, just to the right of the tall monument.
Tall gravestone shaped like tree trunk, in cemetery, surrounded by other gravestones
Formerly enslaved man from South Carolina buried at St. Paul’s Served with Union army in Civil War
Drawing of a solider from the 35th United States Colored Troops
Wounded at Antietam, Civil War Soldier buried at St. Paul's suffered for 40 years, but wrote history of his famed regiment
Cover of the reprint of Matthew J. Graham's regimental history of the 9th New York Volunteer Infantry of the Union Army in the Civil War
Cover of book, with printed title and subtitle, and image of soldiers crouching and firing weapons
Civil War soldier interred at St. Paul's served three years with "Old Steady" 128th New York Infantry
Monument to the 128th New York Volunteer Infantry regiment, in Poughkeepsie, New York, in which Jacob Ham served. He is buried at St. Paul's.
Tall stone monument, with figure of a soldier holding a flag, on pedestal.
Civil War Soldiers buried at St. Paul's who died in service
Lieutenant Joseph Mead of the 119th New York Volunteer Infantry, who died in service during the Civil War, follows by burial at St. Paul's.
Rev. Samuel Seabury: St. Paul's controversial minister of the era of the American Revolution
Front piece of Rev. Samuel Seabury's 1774 pamphlet, Letters of a A Westchester Farmer, which opposed the policies of the Continental Congress, and established Rev. Seabury as a leading and controversial Loyalist in New York
document, with writing
Choosing Sides, with tremendous ramifications: The Ward Family and the American Revolution
St. Paul's sandstone grave marker for Phoebe Ward, who endured the harsh conditions of the "neutral ground" of Westchester County during the Revolutionary War, joined her husband and children, and many other Loyalists, in exile in Canada after the war, but returned to Westchester County in the late 18th century.
Reddish brown gravestone, with tri-partite top, and grey cap, signs of repair, in a cemetery
New York Militia Soldier Who Fought at Battle of White Plains, buried at St. Paul's
Sandstone burial marker at St. Paul's for Frederick Stevenson, who served in the New York militia during the Revolutionary War, and saw combat at the crucial Battle of White Plains in October 1776. He died in 1820.
Reddish brown gravestone, with tripartite top, in a cemetery, green grass visible
The Long road of a Civil War sailor to St. Paul's Church
Gravestone at St. Paul's for the family of Michael McLaughlin, an Irish immigrant who served as an assistant engineer in the Union Navy during the Civil War.
Light grey gravestone, with lettered inscription, in a cemetery, with green grass visible
Dr. Charles S. Taft: Lincoln assassination attending surgeon buried at St. Paul's
Newspaper photo of Dr. Charles S. Taft, c. 1900, just before he passed away.
Photo of a man, bald, with facial hair, and bow tie, and print below the picture
George Carter: Civil War Veteran buried at St. Paul's who was born enslaved in Virginia
Burial stone at St. Paul's for Private George Carter of the 10th Regiment, United States Colored Troops, Civil War.
Light grey gravestone, with inscription, in the ground, surrounded by green grass, in a cemetery
Lost, then found, Civil War Soldier buried at St. Paul's
Image of the Mt. Vernon (NY) Hospital, where Hiram Slagle was taken following his collapse on a city street.
Tall monument of soldier, set in a green grass plot, in front of a large white building
Stephen Hunt: Civil War soldier whose life centered on St. Paul's Church
Stephen Hunt, Civil War veteran, who is buried at St. Paul's, early 20th century.
Man, seated, with mustache, dressed in suit, with bow tie, holding a paper
Cavalry sergeant Harmon Bloodgood: The only regular army Civil War solider buried at St. Paul's
Image of a Civil War regular army cavalry sergeant, reflecting the appearance of Harmon Bloodgood, who served in the 3rd U.S. Cavalry.
Soldier, in uniform, holding gun, standing next to horse
Richard Shute: The man under the oldest legible gravestone at St. Paul's
The gravestone of Richard Shute (RS) who died (D) on December 14, 1704, the oldest legible gravestone at St Paul's.
Light grey gravestone, with inscription lettering, leaning against a stone building
Thomas Standard: The Colonial era minister buried beneath St. Paul's Church
Rev. Thomas Standard helped to purchase this small bronze bell for St. Paul's in 1758, from the same London foundry where the Liberty Bell was cast. His name is inscribed on the bell, which still hangs in the church steeple. It is the source of local legends and ghost stories.
Light greenish church bell, suspended from metal bar, with circular metal wheel visible
The Lenape: Native inhabitants of the St. Paul's area
Lenape chief
Man, greying hair, one bare shoulder, garment on other shoulder, object hanging from neck
Directors of the American Field Hospital at St. Paul's during the Revolutionary War
Dr. John Warren, who was a doctor with the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and directed an army field hospital at St. Paul's Church in 1776.
Painting of a man, in suit, with white collar
John Glover: Sailor, Soldier, Patriot
General John Glover of the Continental Army
Illustration of a man, in military uniform, with high collar
The Hessians
Burial stone for Hessian (German) soldiers who served with the British during the Revolutionary War, and died of illness in St. Paul's Church, 1776.
Light grey burial stone, on ground, in cemetery, with vertical white stone behind it
Philip Pell: Revolutionary War leader, Last member of the Continental Congress
Marble burial stone for Revolutionary War leader Philip Pell, at St. Paul's, in the 1930s.
Vertical, white gravestone, with inscription, in a cemetery, surrounded by other gravestones
Stephen Ward: A Local Revolutionary Leader who guided the town's transition from colonial times to the early republic
Stephen Ward's family occupied the large pew at the upper right corner in the 1787 arrangement of St. Paul's (reflected in today's restored appearance of the late 18th century sanctuary) and paid an annual subscription of 42 shillings, highest in the parish.
Church interior, with tall walled wooden boxes, and flags visible
Military Service and Family Concerns Reflected through Revolutionary War lieutenant buried at St. Paul's
In this drawing of the 1787 pew plan of St. Paul's Church, William Pinckney and his large family occupied the box pew directly to the right of the pulpit.
Diagram, with boxes and writing
Rev. John Milner: The rector who started the building of St. Paul's Church
Drawing depicts the beginning of the erection of St. Paul's in 1763, when Rev. John Milner was the church rector.
Drawing shows oxen, people, scaffolding, hoist pulley and partially constructed building
Rev. John Bartow: First Anglican minister at St. Paul's
Drawing of the appearance of the Eastchester meeting house, the first church at St. Paul's, in the early 1700s, when Rev. John Bartow began his mission as the first Church of England rector of the parish.
Benjamin Turner: Patriarch of an African American family that lived for three generations, from slavery to freedom, near St. Paul's Church
An illustration depicting an early 19th century scene of Benjamin Turner working the family farm, situated alongside the Hutchinson River, with St. Paul's Church at the upper left.
Drawing of a farm, alongside a river, man working the field, house and church also in the scene
Rev. William H. Weigle: 20th century minister and developer of St. Paul's as a historic site
Funded through the Civil Works Administration, this 1934 project to overhaul the appearance of the historic cemetery was one of many projects engineered by Rev. William H. Weigle to develop St. Paul's as a historic site.
Men with shovels, working in a cemetery, many gravestones visible
Rev. William Coffey: St. Paul's Longest serving rector
Rev. William S. Coffey, rector of St. Paul's Church, mid 19th century.
Photo of man, bearded, in long black robes, holding book
Sarah Elizabeth Nelson: A Woman Devoted to Land, Faith & Family
Sarah E. Nelson's appeal of a 1934 legal demand for payment of back taxes, and threat of foreclosure, on land, adjacent to St. Paul's Church, that her family had possessed since the early 19th century.
document, with writing
Corporal Morris Link: Harlem Hell-fighter, buried at St. Paul's
Service record of Corporal Morris Link, who served with the 369th Regiment, nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters, in World War I, and was killed in action in France, in 1918. Corporal Link is buried in the historic cemetery at St. Paul's.
document, with writing
Edward Gay: Prominent Landscape painter, buried at St. Paul's
Edward Gay painting, "The Brook," which is on display in the museum at St. Paul's Church N.H.S.
Minnie Dupree: Broadway star for half a century, buried at St. Paul's
Minnie Dupree, star of the Broadway stage, c. 1900.
Photo of woman, seated, wearing broad-brimmed hat, and white dress, with hand on side of face
Service & Sacrifice: Profiles of American Soldiers of World War I buried at St. Paul's
Service record for Private Clarence Lanzendoen, who died in service during the First World War, followed by burial at St. Paul's
document, with writing
Mary E. Gedney: A woman of distinction buried at St. Paul's
Report in the local Mt. Vernon (NY) daily paper about Mary E. Gedney's selection in 1906 as President of a national veterans auxiliary organization and audience at the White House with President Theodore Roosevelt.
Alfred H. Duncombe: Millionaire brush manufacturer, and source of a titanic inheritance battle, who is buried at St. Paul's
This tall granite obelisk marks the burial site at St. Paul's of Alfred H. Duncombe, a 19th century millionaire businessman, whose vast estate was the source of a major battle among his family members.
tall granite obelisk monument, in a cemetery, surrounded by other gravestones
The Flynn Brothers of Mt. Vernon: World War I soldiers buried at St. Paul's
Captain Ramsey William Joseph Flynn, of he 313th Infantry Division, American Expeditionary Force, World War I. Flynn is buried at St. Paul's.
Man, standing, in military uniform, with hat and boots, sign visible behind him
Religion in the Wilderness: the Early Years of the St. Paul's parish
The original covenant, or town charter of the parish of St. Paul's, composed in 1664, included two clauses -- 2 and 4 -- which outlined the community's religious foundations.
document, with writing
The Long Journey of a 17th century Oak Chair to St. Paul's Church
An oak chair, assembled in 1639, and donated to St. Paul's Church in the early 20th century.
Wooden chair
19th century Models of the Church: History and Commemoration
Wooden model of St. Paul's constructed in 1865, which remains on display at the church.
small wooden model of a church, with steeple
Wooden Tablets from the 1840s reflect Important Changes at St. Paul's
These four religious tablets were installed at St. Paul's in 1848, and remain on display at the church.
Four brown wooden tablets, with tri-partite tops, set against a white wall
Eternal Light/Sanctuary Lamp: Commemorating History & Religion at St. Paul's
Recent view of the interior of St. Paul's, showing the 19th century religious lamp, supporting a red candle holder, at the foreground.
Church interior, with tall walled box pews, balcony with organ also visible, lamp suspended
Plaque t St. Paul's recalls the Underhills, a prominent and historic local family
Small bronze plaque, installed at St. Paul's Church in 1950, that commemorates the Underhills, a prominent family that was among the early colonial settlers of the region.
Metal plaque, with inscription, set into a stone wall
Plaque at St. Paul's Recalls the Underhills: A prominent & historic local family
Installed at St. Paul's in 1950, this small bronze plaque recalls the Underhills, a prominent family that was among the earliest colonial settlers of the region.
Metal plaque, with inscription, attached to a stone wall
Bronze Plaque Installed in 1952 Commemorates Designation of St. Paul’s as a National Historic Site
Rev. Howard Perkins and Ms. Zoo Zenger Boden unveiling a plaque in 1952 that designated St. Paul's as a national historic site in 1952.
Man in priestly clothing, and a woman, standing in front of a plaque, set on a stone wall
A Meddling Royal Governor: Turnout at a Landmark Colonial Election at St. Paul's
20th century painting of a landmark election, held on the village green at St. Paul's, on October 29, 1733.
Painting of men, in colonial era clothing, standing, flags, table and wooden building
The Battle of Pell's Point
A Works Progress Administration mural from the 1930s, depicting the Battle of Pell's Point, on display at a Bronx, New York courthouse.
Mural battle scene, showing soldiers, with weapons, and an officer on a horse
Bronze Plaque Reflects an earlier understanding of venerating St. Paul's Church
Still in its original location, this metal plaque, chronicling the church's historic significance, was presented to St. Paul's in 1911.
Metal plaque, curved top, with inscription, attached to a stone wall
"300,000 More": The 6th New York Heavy Artillery
Distant view of the camp of the 6th New York Heavy Artillery, Maryland Heights, near Washington, D.C., 1863.
Photo, distant view of a military camp, on a hilltop
Colonial era burial markers from the Bronx, re-located to St. Paul's in the 20th century
The three colonial era Underhill gravestones, which were moved from a family cemetery in the Bronx to St. Paul's in the 20th century.
small, reddish brown gravestones, set against a stone wall
Preserving the historic cemetery at St. Paul's
View of the historic cemetery at St. Paul's, looking towards the 18th century masonry church.
Cemetery, with gravestones of various sizes and shapes.
To Save the parish? The Restoration of the interior of St. Paul's Church
Image of the interior of St. Paul's, shortly after the completion of the restoration of the church in 1942 to the original appearance of 1787,
Church interior, with high wall box pews, and aisles
For Whom the Bell Tolls: The Story of the St. Paul's Bell
St. Paul's bell as a focal point of a War Bonds drive campaign in New York City, in 1942.
Many people, one dressed in colonial clothes, American flags, man ringing a bell
Manhattan Sites Junior Ranger Program
Manhattan Sites Junior Ranger program that features five units of the National Park Service in the New York City area.
Self guided African American History Tour of St. Paul's
Gravestone of Corporal Morris Link, who was killed in action in World War I, serving with the famed Harlem Hell fighters, one of the points of interest on a self guided tour exploring the African American history of St. Paul's Church N.H.S., in Mt. Vernon, NY.
Light grey gravestone, with inscription
The Emergence of a National Historic Site
1910 description of New York cemeteries includes this listing for the potter's field at St. Paul's Church.
Document, with print
Manhattan Sites Volunteer Program
An overview of the volunteer program in Manhattan, New York City and instructions on how to apply for the program.
A domed and columned white marble building with American Flag buntings out front.
A Meddling Royal Official: Turnout at a Famous Colonial Election in Westchester County, New York
The famous Election of 1733, held on the village green, at St. Paul's Church
Many men, dressed in colonial clothes, standing outside
New information reveals the identity of a State Trooper buried at St. Paul’s
Trooper Theodore Dobbs of the New York State Police, in the 1920s. Trooper Dobbs died in the line of duty in 1924, and is buried in the historic cemetery at St. Paul's.
Black and white photo of a police offier
Shaping the System Under President Jimmy Carter
President Jimmy Carter oversaw one of the largest growths in the National Park System. Explore some of the parks that are part of the legacy of the presidency of Jimmy Carter, who served as the 39th president of the United States from January 20, 1977, to January 20, 1981.
Historic photo of Jimmy Carter walking through a crowd at Harpers Ferry