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Christ Church is an Episcopal church in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1695 as a parish of the Church of England, it played an integral role in the founding of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States. In 1785, its rector, William White, became the first Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.
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Surviving Structures
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Christ Church was founded in 1695 by members of the Church of England, who built a small wooden church on the site by the next year. In 1700, Evan Evans travelled from Wales to become their rector. When the congregation outgrew the original building twenty years after its construction, they decided to erect a new church, the most sumptuous in the Thirteen Colonies. The main body of the church was constructed between 1727 and 1744, and the steeple was added in 1754, making it the tallest building in the future United States, at 196 feet. The church was rebuilt in 1777 by Robert Smith, and the interior was altered in 1883 by Thomas Ustick Walter.
CHURCH
EST. 1727
Christ Church's congregation included 15 signers of the Declaration of Independence. American Revolutionary War leaders who attended Christ Church include George Washington, Robert Morris, Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross.
Several notable people are buried in the church and adjacent churchyard, including:
Jacob Broom (1752–1810), signer of the United States Constitution from Delaware
Pierce Butler (1744-1822), signer of the United States Constitution from South Carolina
Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson (1739–1801), poet and writer
John Forbes (1710–1759), British commander during the French and Indian War, who captured Fort Duquesne, was an advocate for Native Americans, and named the city of Pittsburgh
Charles Lee (1731–1782), Continental Army major general during the American Revolutionary War
Robert Morris (1734–1806), signer of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution
John Penn (1729–1795), governor and proprietor of the Province of Pennsylvania
James Wilson (1742–1798), signer of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, and U.S. Supreme Court associate justice
William White (1748–1836), rector of Saint Peter Church and Christ Church, first Episcopal Bishop of Pennsylvania, and first and fourth Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
Other notable people are buried at nearby Christ Church Burial Ground, which is associated with Christ Church, including Benjamin Franklin and four other signers of the Declaration of Independence.
HISTORIC PEOPLE
Benjamin Franklin
Diplomat
Robert Morris
Delegate