CHoWs - By Year

1725-1749


Christ Church
Dover, DE
Church of England, 1734
Brick
First Presbyterian, Wilmington
Wilmington, DE
Presbyterian, 1740
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!No longer at its original location, this building now serves the Colonial Dames of America, Delaware Chapter.
Hockessin FMH
Hockessin, DE
Society of Friends, 1738
Stone
Welsh Tract Baptist
Newark, DE
Baptist, 1746
Brick
First Congregational, Kittery
Kittery Point, ME
Congregational, 1730
Wood
Hold mouse here for more info!Oldest in Maine.
York Congregational
York, ME
Congregational, 1747
Wood
All Hallows South River
South River, MD
Church of England, 1727
Brick
Christ Church, Accokeek
Accokeek, MD
Church of England, 1745
Brick
Christ Church, Chaptico
Chaptico, MD
Church of England, 1736
Brick
Christ Church, Durham
Ironsides, MD
Church of England, 1732
Brick
Doughoregan Manor Chapel
near Ellicott City, MD
Roman Catholic, 1727
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!This house and chapel are not open to the public, but are quite historic. The home is still in the possession of descendants of the original owners from 1727, members of the Carroll family, including Charles Carroll (of Carrollton), a signer of the Declaration of Independence, said to have been the wealthiest signer and possibly the richest man in America when he died in 1832, aged about 95, the last surviving signer of the Declaration. I’ve seen the house from the air, but have not yet been able to photograph it.
Middleham Chapel
Lusby, MD
Church of England, 1748
Brick
Old Green Hill / St. Bartholomew's
Whitehaven, MD
Church of England, 1733
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Now separated by state and diocesan lines, Green Hill was the mother church of Old Christ Church (Laurel, Sussex Co., Del.). Its beautiful lines were the model for the construction of the newer church, completed four decades later in wood. Green Hill's location is ideal for summoning up the aura of the 18th century.
Sacred Heart
Bowie, MD
Roman Catholic, 1741
Brick
Sater Baptist
Baltimore, MD
Baptist, 1742
Brick
St. Luke's Church Hill
Church Hill, MD
Church of England, 1730
Brick
St. MaryAnne's, North East
North East, MD
Church of England, 1742
Brick
St. Paul's, Baden
Baden, MD
Church of England, 1733
Brick
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
Bernardston Cong Unit
Bernardston, MA
Congregational, 1739
Wood
Clapboardtrees MH
Westwood, MA
Congregational, 1730
Wood
First Parish MH, Cohasset
Cohasset, MA
Congregational, 1747
Wood
Holden Chapel, Harvard
Cambridge, MA
Congregational, 1742
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Now in use as a music building, this is not open to the public. It is, however, in sight of Christ Church, just across Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge.
King's Chapel
Boston, MA
Church of England, 1749
Stone
Hold mouse here for more info!Originally built for use by the Church of England, and now surrounded by modern Boston. It is now Unitarian.
Old Meeting House, Burlington
Burlington, MA
Congregational, 1732
Wood
Old North Vestry
Nantucket, MA
Presbyterian, 1732
Wood
Old South Meeting House
Boston, MA
Congregational, 1729
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Benjamin Franklin’s family worshiped here (though this structure was built after he moved to Philadelphia). It also figures prominently in the history of the American Revolution; members of the Committee of Correspondence met here frequently.
Pelham MH
Pelham, MA
Presbyterian, 1743
Wood
South Hingham MH
South Hingham, MA
Congregational, 1742
Wood
Hampstead Town Hall
Hampstead, NH
Congregational, 1745
Wood
Salem Town Hall
Salem, NH
Congregational, 1738
Wood
Bordentown FMH
Bordentown, NJ
Society of Friends, 1740
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!In the past decade, this small meeting house underwent historic preservation research, resulting in the exterior brick walls being covered in stucco and painted yellow – as it had been during the colonial era. It had been exposed unpainted brick for perhaps a century.
Old Yellow MH
Imlaystown, NJ
Baptist, 1737
Wood
Hold mouse here for more info!Not far from an amusement park and the New Jersey Turnpike, this meeting house has been able to retain its 18th century atmosphere thanks to its original appearance and the lack of modern development nearby.
Seaville FMH
Seaville, NJ
Society of Friends, 1727
Wood
Hold mouse here for more info!This may be the smallest wooden Friends Meetinghouse; even though it’s not far from the Garden State Parkway, it’s in a pleasantly peaceful area, allowing one to imagine one has escaped modern influences momentarily.
Stony Brook FMH
Princeton, NJ
Society of Friends, 1726
Stone
Trenton FMH
Trenton, NJ
Society of Friends, 1739
Brick
Caroline Setauket
Setauket, NY
Church of England, 1729
Wood
First Reformed Dutch, Fishkill
Fishkill, NY
Dutch Reformed, 1731
Stone
Fort Herkimer Reformed Dutch
Herkimer, NY
Dutch Reformed, 1730
Stone
Ft. Niagara French Chapel
Ft. Niagara State Park, NY
Roman Catholic, 1726
Stone
Hold mouse here for more info!As this is on Lake Ontario at the Canadian Border, it is the farthest from all the other CHoWs (over 200 miles from any of the others). Now that it’s preserved in a state park, it’s also fixed in time – the 18th century – and yet too busy with tourists much of the time, so the colonial atmosphere is not immediately appreciable.
Matinecock FMH
Oyster Bay, NY
Society of Friends, 1725
Wood
Hold mouse here for more info!This meeting house’s setting allows one to drift back in time quite easily.
Old Stone Rhinebeck
Rhinebeck, NY
German Lutheran, 1730
Stone
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. Philip's, Brunswick
Brunswick, NC
Church of England, 1740
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.
Augustus Lutheran, Trappe
Trappe, PA
German Lutheran, 1743
Stone
Hold mouse here for more info!Augustus is the parent church of all other Lutheran Churches in America. One mark, created on the 250th anniversary of this church’s foundation, is a walkway from the parking area that is made of slabs of engraved stones from the many first-generation Lutheran churches its parishioner-missionaries established. Among them are all the other Lutheran CHoWs on this website.
Christ Church, Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
Church of England, 1727
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Benjamin Franklin worshiped at this huge church (at one time believed to be the largest enclosed space in the colonies), and is buried in their burial ground two blocks away.
Concord FMH
Concordville, PA
Society of Friends, 1728
Brick
Donegal Presbyterian
East Donegal Twp/Maytown, PA
Presbyterian, 1740
Stone
East Caln FMH
East Caln Twp, PA
Society of Friends, 1726
Stone
Neshaminy Presbyterian
Neshaminy, PA
Presbyterian, 1743
Stone
New Garden FMH
New Garden, PA
Society of Friends, 1743
Brick
Paxton
Harrisburg (Paxtang), PA
Presbyterian, 1740
Stone
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. 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.
Dr. Hopkins MH
Newport, RI
Congregational, 1729
Wood
Sabbath Day MH
Newport, RI
Seventh Day Baptist, 1729
Wood
Second Congregational, Newport
Newport, RI
Congregational, 1733
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.
Old White Tabby
St. Helena Island, SC
Church of England, 1726
Tapia
Prince George, Winyah
Georgetown, SC
Church of England, 1741
Brick
Sheldon
Garden Corners, Yemassee, SC
Church of England, 1745
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Although this is a ruin, it is one of the most evocative locations I’ve encountered. Unusual cylindrical brick columns.
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.
Augusta Stone Church
Fort Defiance, VA
Presbyterian, 1747
Stone
Blandford Church
Petersburg, VA
Church of England, 1735
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!The chapel, standing at the edge of the largest cemetery in Petersburg, adjacent to the national battlefield, and resting place of my parents and grandparents, offers a series of stained-glass windows designed by L. C. Tiffany.
Christ Church, Lancaster
Weems, VA
Church of England, 1732
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!One of the supreme examples of Georgian church architecture in America, this church is almost entirely unchanged since its completion about 285 years ago. It has the blessing of a rural setting which further enhances the colonial-era atmosphere.
Fork Church
Beaver Dam, VA
Church of England, 1735
Brick
Glebe Church
Driver, VA
Church of England, 1738
Brick
Hebron Lutheran
Madison, VA
German Lutheran, 1740
Wood
Hungars Church
Bridgetown, VA
Church of England, 1742
Brick
Mangohick Church
Mangohick, VA
Church of England, 1730
Brick
Merchant's Hope
Prince George, VA
Church of England, 1743
Brick
Hold mouse here for more info!Merchant’s Hope owes its strong 18th century atmosphere to the lucky location on a side road well out of any town. It appears to be unchanged in almost 350 years; it was built in 1657, and is one of the four oldest CHoWs in America’s English colonies.
North Farnham
Farnham, VA
Church of England, 1737
Brick
Old Donation Church
Lynnhaven, VA
Church of England, 1736
Brick
Providence Presbyterian
Gum Spring, VA
Presbyterian, 1747
Wood
Slash Church
Ashland, VA
Church of England, 1729
Wood
Hold mouse here for more info!Probably the oldest wooden frame church in Virginia.
St. David's, Cat-tail
near Ayelett, VA
Church of England, 1748
Brick
St. George's, Pungoteague
Pungoteague, VA
Church of England, 1738
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, 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. Mary's White Chapel
Lively, VA
Church of England, 1740
Brick
St. Paul's, Norfolk
Norfolk, VA
Church of England, 1739
Brick
Stratton Major Church
Shanghai, VA
Church of England, 1725
Brick
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.
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.


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