King's Chapel
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| King's Chapel | |
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| (U.S. National Historic Landmark) | |
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| Location: | Tremont and School Streets, Boston, MA |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Built/Founded: | 1749 |
| Architect: | Peter Harrison |
| Architectural style(s): | Georgian |
| Added to NRHP: | May 2, 1974 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 74002045[1] |
| Governing body: | Private |
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 among the oldest member churches 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.
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[edit] Burying 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.
[edit] Notable burials
- John Winthrop
- William Dawes (disputed[2])
- Mary Chilton
- William Emerson (father of Ralph Waldo Emerson)
[edit] Image gallery
 William Dawes tomb. |
 Mary Chilton Winslow's burial spot in the Winslow Tomb. |
 John Winthrop's Tomb. |
[edit] See also
| Preceded by Granary Burying Ground |
Locations along Boston's Freedom Trail King's Chapel |
Succeeded by site of the first public school, Boston Latin School |
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
- ^ Fletcher, Ron (2005-02-25). Who's buried in Dawes's tomb?. Boston Globe.
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