CHoWs - All CHOWs

Arranged alphabetically by name


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St. James's, Kingsessing
Philadelphia, PA
Swedish Lutheran, 1760
Brick
St. John's Broad Creek
Broad Creek, MD
Church of England, 1723
Brick
St. John's, Chuckatuck
Chuckatuck, VA
Church of England, 1752
Brick
St. John's, Hampton
Hampton, VA
Church of England, 1727
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Oldest congregation in the English Colonies, dating to 1610.
St. John's, Lower Chapel
King William Court House, VA
Church of England, 1732
Brick
St. John's, Oakdale, LI
Oakdale, NY
Church of England, 1769
Wood
St. John's, Richmond
Richmond, VA
Church of England, 1741
Wood
Hold mouse here for more info!The church has been rotated 90° on its foundations, but is the location of Patrick Henry’s famed “Give me Liberty” speech.
St. John's, Williamsboro
Williamsboro, NC
Church of England, 1773
Wood
St. Luke's Church Hill
Church Hill, MD
Church of England, 1730
Brick
St. Luke's, Ottsville
Ottsville, PA
Presbyterian, 1768
Stone
St. Luke's, Smithfield
Smithfield, VA
Church of England, 1682
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Architectural historians (which I’m not) have debated the exact age of this beautiful building for decades, if not centuries. It has now been confirmed through dendrochronology that the building dates to about 1682. Although it was believed for many years to have been built in the 1630s, that is no longer supported by science. It is one of the oldest churches in the colonies, and it stands in a setting which evokes the colonial period well.
St. Mark's, Little Fork Church
Rixeyville, VA
Church of England, 1776
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Compare the architecture of this building with that of Lamb’s Creek Church in Sealston.
St. Martin's, Showell
Showell, MD
Church of England, 1755
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Beautifully restored in the 2000s, St. Martin’s would be a good place to step back in time.
St. Mary Star of the Sea: Tubman Chapel
Church Creek, MD
Roman Catholic, 1767
Wood
St. Mary's White Chapel
Lively, VA
Church of England, 1740
Brick
St. Mary's, Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
Roman Catholic, 1763
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!The only big city Roman Catholic church from the colonial era.
St. MaryAnne's, North East
North East, MD
Church of England, 1742
Brick
St. Michael's, Charleston
Charleston, SC
Church of England, 1752
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!It’s a brick building, with stucco painted white.
St. Michael's, Marblehead
Marblehead, MA
Church of England, 1714
Wood
St. Paul's
Washington, DC
Church of England, 1775
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Restored after a fire in the 1920s.
St. Paul's, Baden
Baden, MD
Church of England, 1733
Brick
St. Paul's Chapel
Bally, PA
Roman Catholic, 1743
Stone
Hold mouse here for more info!Only the easternmost tiny portion of this structure dates back to the colonial era. It’s another rare Roman Catholic church from the colonial era.
St. Paul's Chapel, Manhattan
New York City, NY
Church of England, 1764
Stone
Hold mouse here for more info!A true modern miracle, St. Paul’s, literally just across the street from 9/11’s Ground Zero, suffered dust, and reportedly one (1) broken window. For months after, St. Paul’s served as a place of refuge for first responders and repair and rescue workers on the site. It is the oldest CHoW in Manhattan (third oldest in the city of New York).
St. Paul's, Fairlee
Fairlee, MD
Church of England, 1713
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Of note in the extensive burial ground is the grave of Tallulah Bankhead. This church is one of the most remote, thus offering one an easy step back 250 years or more.
St. Paul's, Eastchester
Eastchester, NY
Church of England, 1761
Stone
Hold mouse here for more info!Although the approach to St. Paul’s might give one pause (it’s the Bronx on the south side of the NPS property), the setting itself is evocative of an earlier time.
St. Paul's, Edenton
Edenton, NC
Church of England, 1736
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!St. Paul’s, near the waters of Albemarle Sound, bears a strong resemblance to Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg.
St. Paul's, King George
King George, VA
Church of England, 1766
Brick
St. Paul's, Norfolk
Norfolk, VA
Church of England, 1739
Brick
St. Paul's, Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
Church of England, 1760
Brick
St. Paul's, Wickford
Wickford, RI
Church of England, 1707
Wood
Hold mouse here for more info!It was moved around 1800, because of population changes, from its original location about five miles away.
St. Paul's, Woodbury
Woodbury, CT
Church of England, 1785
Wood
St. Peter's in the Great Valley
Paoli area, PA
Church of England, 1744
Stone
Hold mouse here for more info!Thanks to its immediate surroundings, one can forget the 20th century here fairly easily.
St. Peter's, Freehold
Freehold, NJ
Church of England, 1770
Wood
St. Peter's, Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
Church of England, 1758
Brick
St. Peter's, Spencertown
Spencertown, NY
Presbyterian, 1771
Wood
St. Peter's, Talleysville
Talleysville, VA
Church of England, 1701
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Martha Washington was baptized here, and married here; it is her home church. Her first marriage took place here; her marriage to George Washington may have, but that’s not confirmed. It’s also one of the best preserved in a location evocative of the 18th century.
St. Peter's, Van Cortlandtville
Van Cortlandtville, NY
Church of England, 1767
Wood
Hold mouse here for more info!Its setting in a large cemetery allows one to dream of the 18th century more easily.
St. Philip's, Brunswick
Brunswick, NC
Church of England, 1740
Brick
St. Stephen's Mattapony
Cumnor, VA
Church of England, 1755
Brick
St. Stephen's, St. Stephen
St. Stephen, SC
Church of England, 1767
Brick
St. Thomas's, Alexandria
Alexandria, NJ
Church of England, 1769
Stone
St. Thomas's, Croom
Croom, MD
Church of England, 1733
Brick
St. Thomas's, Garrison Forest
Greenspring Valley, MD
Church of England, 1743
Brick
St. Thomas's Manor
Chapel Point, MD
Roman Catholic, 1741
Brick
St. Thomas's, Bath
Bath, NC
Church of England, 1734
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!The oldest CHoW in North Carolina, and seemingly unchanged since its construction. The small town helps persuade one of the reality of the earlier era.
Stony Brook FMH
Princeton, NJ
Society of Friends, 1726
Stone
Stratton Major Church
Shanghai, VA
Church of England, 1725
Brick
Strawberry Chapel
Huger, SC
Church of England, 1725
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!This country church might have a better chance at evoking the 18th century if the surrounding fence and wall weren’t topped with barbed wire, which wasn’t invented until the latter part of the 19th century, and if there weren’t security cameras in place near the locked gate.
Swansea FMH
Somerset, MA
Society of Friends, 1702
Wood
Tennett, Freehold
Freehold, NJ
Presbyterian, 1751
Wood
Hold mouse here for more info!Even in the nation’s most densely populated state, some locations still seem from another time. This church has sufficient surrounding land to produce that effect.
The Falls Church
Falls Church, VA
Church of England, 1767
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!George Washington was a vestryman for some years.
Third Haven FMH
Easton, MD
Society of Friends, 1682
Wood
Hold mouse here for more info!Second oldest wooden meeting house in the country. Thanks to its location set well back from the streets of Easton, it might seem like a good place to drift back to the 18th century.
Timber Ridge Presbyterian
Lexington, VA
Presbyterian, 1756
Stone
Hold mouse here for more info!Just a few yards down the hill is the birthplace site of Sam Houston, the Texas independence leader.
Touro Synagogue
Newport, RI
Jewish, 1759
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!The only colonial-era synagogue still standing in the US, Touro is also a National Historic Site, and holds a letter written to the congregation by George Washington after he became president, affirming freedom of religion for all religious groups.
Townsend
Townsend, MA
Congregational, 1771
Wood
Townshend MH
Townshend, VT
Congregational, 1790
Wood
Trenton FMH
Trenton, NJ
Society of Friends, 1739
Brick
Trinity Church, Frederick
Frederick, MD
German Reformed, 1763
Stone
Trinity Church, Swedesboro
Swedesboro, NJ
Swedish Lutheran, 1784
Brick
Trinity, Fishkill
Fishkill, NY
Church of England, 1769
Wood
Trinity, Newport
Newport, RI
Church of England, 1725
Wood
Hold mouse here for more info!Although this is finished in white-painted wood, its architecture mirrors that of the Old North Church in Boston very noticeably.
Trinity Oldfields
Hughesville, MD
Church of England, 1769
Brick
Trinity, Church Creek
Church Creek, MD
Church of England, 1675
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Oldest in Maryland.
Trinity, Oxford
Lawndale, PA
Church of England, 1711
Brick
Union, West Claremont
West Claremont, NH
Church of England, 1773
Wood
Unitarian, Charleston
Charleston, SC
Congregational, 1772
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Although old, it doesn’t look it.
Upper Chichester FMH
Upper Chichester, PA
Society of Friends, 1769
Stone
Uwchlan FMH
Lionville, PA
Society of Friends, 1756
Stone
Hold mouse here for more info!Although the meeting house is in a suburb of Philadelphia, its surroundings allow a sense of the 18th century.
Vauter's Church
Loretto, VA
Church of England, 1719
Brick
Walpole MH
South Bristol, ME
Presbyterian, 1772
Wood
Hold mouse here for more info!Just a few miles from the Harrington Meeting House, Walpole bears a remarkable resemblance to it. They were completed within a year or so together. This too allows one to step back in time.
Ware Church
Gloucester, VA
Church of England, 1715
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Although it’s not far from a highway, Ware has an aura of peace and quiet, idyllic for dreaming of an earlier era.
Warrington FMH
Wellsville, PA
Society of Friends, 1769
Stone
Washington Town Hall
Washington, NH
Congregational, 1786
Wood
Hold mouse here for more info!The town, apparently the very first in the country named for the General, is also billed as the highest (elevation) of any town in New Hampshire. Since its also a classic New England town with a green, standing there near the Town Hall, one can envision the earlier era rather easily.
Welsh Tract Baptist
Newark, DE
Baptist, 1746
Brick
West Granville
West Granville, MA
Congregational, 1778
Wood
West Parish MH
West Barnstable, MA
Congregational, 1717
Wood
Westminster Congregational
Westminster, CT
Congregational, 1769
Wood
Westmoreland Congregational
Park Hill/Westmoreland, NH
Congregational, 1762
Wood
Westover Church
Westover, VA
Church of England, 1731
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!A simple design, well executed, on land which hasn’t been altered much in centuries, results in a place for stepping into another era.
Wilbraham Methodist
Wilbraham, MA
Methodist, 1793
Wood
Wilton Congregational
Wilton, CT
Congregational, 1790
Wood
Woodbury FMH
Woodbury, NJ
Society of Friends, 1715
Brick
Woodstown FMH
Woodstown, NJ
Society of Friends, 1784
Brick
Wren Chapel, College of W&M
Williamsburg, VA
Church of England, 1729
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!As the College was alma mater for a few of the US presidents, this chapel was at least occasionally the scene of their worship (Jefferson, Monroe, Tyler). The Wren Building is the oldest college building in the original 13 colonies, though it has been restored multiple times.
Wrightstown FMH
Wrightstown, PA
Society of Friends, 1787
Stone
Hold mouse here for more info!This meeting house has a congenially colonial-seeming environment.
Wye
Wye Mills, MD
Church of England, 1717
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Although this church looks the way it does thanks to a very generous 20th century restoration, that doesn’t alter that its appearance is now very evocative of the colonial era.
Yeocomico Church
Kinsale, VA
Church of England, 1706
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!The church, one of the best-preserved and best-located for evoking the 18th century atmosphere I value so highly, contains the baptismal font used for the baptism of George Washington.
York Congregational
York, ME
Congregational, 1747
Wood
York FMH
York, PA
Society of Friends, 1765
Brick
Zion Lutheran
Oldwick, NJ
German Lutheran, 1750
Brick


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