St.
George's Episcopal Church
Fredericksburg, Virginia
#NC-08230-WP - Notecards
Also available in Assortment Pack #AST-790
Its historic
and architectural significance well known, St. George's Church
has been called "one of the treasures of Virginia" by
the Virginia Department of Historic Structures. The first church
building on the site was a wooden structure built in 1732, which
was enlarged substantially in 1787. By the year 1814, however,
the original building had become so old and dilapidated that it
was replaced by a more substantial brick building. The present
brick structure was built in 1849 to accommodate the needs of
a growing congregation.
Located within
the forty-block Fredericksburg Historic District, St. George's
Church is a fine example of the Romanesque Revival style of architecture
and believed to have been designed by the Baltimore firm of Niernsee
and Neilson. The clock in the church tower was placed there in
1851 by City Council and is still maintained by the City of Fredericksburg.
The original clear glass windows have been replaced by stained
glass, including three Tiffany windows.
St. George's
was gravely damaged in 1862 during the bombardment of the town
by Union soldiers. In the pillaging that followed, the four-piece
silver communion service that had been donated by Warden John
Gray in 1827 disappeared. The pieces were recovered over a 70-year
period and are in use today. After the Battle of the Wilderness
in May 1864, the church building was used as a hospital by the
Union Army. More than 10,000 wounded Union soldiers were housed
in nearly every building in Fredericksburg. General Robert E.
Lee, the lay delegate of Latimer Parish, Lexington, was one of
the chief attractions at the Diocesan Convention held in St. George's
Church in May of 1869.
The graveyard
adjoining St. George's dates back to the first church. Among the
prominent people buried here are William Paul, brother of John
Paul Jones, and Colonel John Dandridge of New Kent County, father
of Martha Washington.
Text
© 1996 Dianne Harrah, Drawing © 1996 Bill Harrah
.
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