St. Paul's Chapel: 'Little Church That Stood'

St. Paul's Chapel   (Photo by Jim.henderson)

When the World Trade Towers came toppling down, a centuries-old nearby church remained standing.

St. Paul’s Chapel will soon be celebrating its 250^th anniversary.  Known as “Manhattan’s oldest church,” it became as a sanctuary for 9/11 rescue workers, as well as for George Washington.

Back in 1766 when the church was first built, it served as an Episcopal “Chapel of Ease” for the “uptown” members.  At the time, Manhattan residents mostly lived near the southernmost tip of the island.

Only a decade later, St. Paul’s managed to survive the Great Fire of 1776, which “consumed a quarter of lower Manhattan.”  When historic Trinity burned down, Washington wound up at the “Little Church That Stood.”

During the early 20^th-century, St. Paul’s provided “religious services for printers getting off work in the wee hours of the night.”  It also hosted a “business lunch club for women when the female workforce was relatively small.”

Throughout the long years, St. Paul's has stood for many a just cause such as these.

Resources

https://www.yahoo.com/news/nycs-little-church-stood-plans-152101390.html?ref=gs

Copyright October 4, 2016 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved