Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site

Digitized collections

Scenes from St. Paul's Church

Slide 1: Dating to 1763, St. Paul's Church is one of the oldest churches in New York State.
Slide 2: In 1942, the church's interior was restored to its original appearance based on a 1787 pew plan.
Slide 3: The carriage house, a recent addition, exhibits artifacts relating to church history.
Slide 4: The oldest headstone at St. Paul's Church dates back to 1704.
Slide 5: The church bell, cast in 1758, was hidden during the Revolutionary War to prevent it from being melted down for munitions.
Slide 6: Living history events commemorate the church's role as a hospital during the Revolutionary War.

Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site in Mount Vernon, New York, is one of the oldest churches in the state. Originally a wooden structure on nearby Eastchester Village Green, construction began for a new brick and stone church in 1763. The partially completed building was used as a makeshift hospital during the Revolutionary War.

This new church was finished in 1788 and christened the Saint Paul's Episcopal Church in 1795. Saint Paul's remained a place of worship until the late 1970's when its use was discontinued due to a declining congregation. The church was gifted to the National Park Service by the Episcopal Diocese in 1980 and officially designated a national historic site—a protection given to places with one important historical feature.

The Saint Paul's Church collections include several documents related to the ecclesiastical history of the site, such as a list of pew-holders with their locations, as well as period illustrations and photographs of the church.

Learn more about this site on the National Park Service and New York Harbor Parks websites.