Known as the “Nation's Church,” Christ Church, established in 1695, served as a place of worship for such historically prominent figures as John Penn, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin. Built 1727-1744 at 22-34 North Second Street, this Episcopal church has become closely associated with the founding of the country.
When its 196 foot steeple was completed in 1755, Christ Church was the tallest manmade structure in North America. In fact, the Georgian icon held that record for over 50 years.
The steeple contains a chime of bells cast in London in the middle of the 1700s, one of three rings-of-bells installed in America prior to the Revolution. Christ Church’s bells were rung on July 8, 1776, to announce the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence and on July 4, 1788, bells tolled all day to celebrate the ratification of the Constitution.
Throughout most of the American Revolution, the rector of Christ Church was the Reverend William White, who also served as chaplain of both the Continental Congress and later the US Senate.
The wineglass pulpit, reading desk, and font were made in 1770, the mahogany altar table in 1788. The branched chandelier above the center aisle of the church, installed in 1744, is one of the oldest in the country which is still hanging in its original place.
Christ Church is considered one of the nation's most beautiful surviving 18th-century structures, a monument to colonial craftsmanship and a fine example of Georgian architecture.
1838 litho Interior, 1870 c. 1900
Interior, 1937 Postcard, 1950 Interior, current
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