| Old Trinity Church | |
Old Trinity Church from the Historic American Buildings Survey
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| Location | 6900-6902 Oxford Ave. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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Old Trinity Church, also known as Trinity Church, Oxford, is a historic Episcopal church founded in Oxford Township, Pennsylvania, which is now part of Philadelphia.
A marble stone in the wall of the church bears an inscription that Church of England services were first held on the site in 1698 in a Quaker meeting house of log construction. The present building was erected in 1711 of red and black brick believed to have been brought from England.
The church was founded with the help of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. The church's first pastor, the Rev. John Clubb, who served from about 1705 to 1715, and later the Rev. Robert Weyman, who served during the 1720s, were paid by the Society and shared duties between Oxford and St. David's Church in Radnor, about 20 miles to the west.[1]
In 1713, Queen Anne presented several silver utensils, including a chalice, to the church.[2]
In 1759, the pews were installed. In 1807, the flooring was completed, and the entrance was moved from the north side to the west end. In 1833, the transepts were added, and in 1839, the tower was built. In 1875, according to a design by Philadelphia architect Frank Furness, the tower was shortened to one story, and the present corner tower and belfry were added. Minor additions were made in 1932.
Among the church's rectors were Rev. Aeneas Ross, 1742–1758, father-in-law of Betsy Ross and brother of George Ross, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Dr. William Smith, 1766–1779 and 1791–1798, who went on to found, and serve as the first Provost of, the College of Philadelphia (afterward the University of Pennsylvania); the Rev. John Henry Hobart, 1798–1801, who became Bishop of New York and founded Hobart College; and Edward Young Buchanan, 1854–1882, brother of President James Buchanan.
The church is listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.