Saint Paul's Church
National Historic Site

In 1665, the families of Dissenters (nonmembers of the Church of England) in the new settlement which came to be known as Eastchester established rules and regulations to govern their community. It was agreed to hire a Congregational minister to preach to them every other week. This agreement marked the beginning of Saint Paul's Church, although it was known only as the Church at Eastchester for the next 130 years. The first six preachers were either Presbyterian or Congregational.

The community voted in 1693 to construct a meeting house which was finally built in 1700. This wood frame structure covered with shingles was 28 square feet and stood 18 feet to the eaves. It replaced a smaller building which had stood on the Eastchester village green since about 1665.

In 1701, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG) was formed for the purpose of providing Church of England services everywhere in Britain's possessions. Between 1702 and 1776, the SPG provided four ministers to the Church at Eastchester and the people were forced to support Anglican clergymen in place of their Dissenting ministers. Britain's encroachment on the religious freedom of the colonists and the Church of England's proposal to establish an Episcopate in America were among the causes of the American Revolution.

Political strife between the Governor, the Assembly and the local gentry created serious controversies during the administration of Governor William Cosby. Chief Justice Lewis Morris challenged the Governor in court and was removed from his position by Cosby. In 1733, Morris ran for a vacant Assembly seat against William Forster, the SPG appointed schoolmaster for Westchester County. Although the Governor's people tried to manipulate the voting, Lewis Morris easily won the election held on the village green. Quakers protested their disenfranchisement in this election and subsequently won an important victory for freedom of religious expression.

Construction of the third and extant church at Eastchester began in 1763 but completion was delayed by lack of funds and the onset of the revolution. During the war, the second church was dismantled and used for firewood while the new structure was used as a hospital for wounded English and German soldiers. A mass burial site at the rear of the burying ground contains the remains of over 100 Hessian mercenaries. Many famous and important people have been associated with Saint Paul's Church. Ancestors of the Roosevelts worshiped here as did President John Adams and his family.

The burying ground contains about 9,000 interments dating from 1665 and encompasses approximately five acres. A fascinating variety of styles, imagery and types of stone can be found among the grave markers. Many large historical burial plots and vaults of the original families are included. Over the years, the burying ground expanded and engulfed much of the village green. Buried here are seventeenth and eighteenth century Eastchester militiamen, veterans of the French and Indian War, the Revolution, War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish American War and both World Wars.

As the twentieth Century arrived, the church and cemetery began to reflect the changes in the area: industrial buildings proliferated, the congregation shrank and the site fell into disrepair. Descendants of the original families began to plan a restoration of the structure in the 1930s. The church was closed in 1940 and work began the following year according to the original plans and drawings in the church's possession.

In 1980, the site was transferred from the Episcopal Diocese of New York to the National Park Service. The site opened to the public in 1984 and is operated under a cooperating agreement with the Society of the National shrine of the Bill of Rights at Saint Paul's Church, Eastchester.

VISITATION:

Highest in June and July; lowest in January and February. In 1996 - 4,934 visitors.

LOCATION:

897 South Columbus Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY

ADDRESS:

897 South Columbus Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY 10550

TELEPHONE:

(914)667-4116

OPERATING HOURS:

9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Closed National Holidays.

CLIMATE, RECOMMENDED CLOTHING:

Summers hot and humid. Light clothing. Winters cold. Heavy outerwear required.

DIRECTIONS:

I-95 to exit #13. North on Connor Street. Connor Street will become Provost Avenue. Provost Avenue will become Third Avenue. Make a right turn onto Columbus Avenue. Saint Paul's Church will be on the right.

Passenger Cars Only: Hutchinson River Parkway to exit #7. South on Boston Road to Pelham Parkway (next intersection); right on Pelham Parkway; left on Columbus Avenue (first light over the bridge) to Saint Paul's Church.

TRANSPORTATION:

Lexington Avenue #5 subway trains to Dyre Avenue station (Bronx); service is provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Bus route W-55 operates half-hourly from Dyre Avenue station to Saint Paul's Church or walk east on Light Street to Provost Avenue and north on Provost Avenue-Third Avenue-Columbus Avenue to Saint Paul's Church (approximately 2/3 of a mile).

FEES, COSTS, RATES:

Admission to Saint Paul's Church is free. All tours and programs are free.

FACILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES:

Visitor Center/Exhibits:
A museum is on site.

Trails/Roads:
None.

Programs/activities:
Take the 13-point, self-guided walking tour, "Exploring Early American History At St. Paul's," which focuses on the Colonial and Revolutionary periods. View the current exhibition on display in the Carriage House, "The People of the Post Road: Life Along Route 22." Join an interpreter for a guided tour of the church.

Lodging and camping facilities:
None in park. Abundant lodging facilities available throughout New York City and suburbs.

Food/supplies:
Food and dining facilities are available in the immediate neighborhood.

Other Concessions/NPS-managed visitor facilities and opportunities:
None.

Accessibility:
Saint Paul's Church is not accessible to the mobility impaired. The Carriage House museum is fully accessible.

RESERVATIONS/PERMITS:

School groups and tour groups desiring a guided tour should make advance reservations by calling (914)667-4116 at least one week in advance. Commercial filming and after hours use require a Special Use Permit issued in advance; for information call (212)825-6883.

BASIC VISIT RECOMMENDATIONS:

Guided tour requires 30 to 40 minutes.

SPECIAL EVENTS/PROGRAMS:

Call (212)260-1616 for exhibit information.

ADJACENT VISITOR ATTRACTIONS:

Bronx Zoo, Botanical Gardens, Bartow-Pell Mansion, Poe Cottage, Van Cortlandt House, Wave Hill, Hudson River Museum, Sunnyside, Philipse Manor, Lyndhurst.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Write: Superintendent, Federal Hall National Memorial, 26 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005; call (212)260-1616.

Last Updated:Monday, 02-Aug-99 09:41:42
http://www.nps.gov/sapa/
Author: Manhattan Sites
Version 3.0