King's Chapel

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King's Chapel, Boston, Massachusetts

King's Chapel is a Christian Unitarian church in Boston, Massachusetts, located at the corner of Tremont Street and School Street. Organized in 1686, it is the oldest member church of the Unitarian Universalist Association and the first Anglican church in Boston.

The original King's Chapel was a wooden church built in 1688 at the corner of Tremont and School Streets, where the church stands today. It was situated on the public burying ground since no resident would sell land for a non-Puritan church. That building was replaced by the current stone structure, begun in 1749 and completed in 1754. The current bell, cast in England, was hung in 1772. In 1814 it cracked, was recast by Paul Revere, and was rehung. It has been rung at services ever since.

During the American Revolution, the chapel sat vacant and was referred to as the "Stone Chapel." It was reopened in 1782 and became Unitarian under the ministry of James Freeman, who revised the Book of Common Prayer along Unitarian lines. Although Freeman still considered King's Chapel to be Episcopalian, the Anglican Church refused to ordain him. The church still follows its own Anglican/Unitarian hybrid liturgy today.

1 Burying ground
- 1.1 Notable burials
2 See also
3 External links
4 References

[edit] Burying ground

King's Chapel burial ground

The burying ground at King's Chapel is the site of the graves of many historical figures. It was Boston's only burial site for 30 years, and is a stop on the Freedom Trail.