King's Chapel

King's Chapel was designed by the first American architect, Peter Harrison; construction began in 1749 and was completed in 1754.  It was the first dressed stone building constructed in the colonies, made of granite quarried in Quincy, Massachusetts.  Architectural historians consider King's Chapel to be one of 500 most important buildings in North America.  The high ceilings, open arches and clear glass windows give the church a special sense of spaciousness and light.  Today, King's Chapel looks very much as it did when it opened over 250 years ago.

The box pews are the original pews.  Each pew was owned by a family who paid 54 shillings a year (worth about  $650 today).   They were designed to protect families from winter drafts in the days before central heating.  Parishioners would sit close together with a foot warmer on the floor providing heat.  They could also bring blankets or even the family dogs to keep warm.  Each pew reflected the size of the family, who could brings in their own pillows, fabrics, and furniture for their pew.  Children often faced their parents, rather than the chancel, so that parents could watch both the service and their children. 

Governer's Pew

This pew was designed for use by the Royal Governors sent as representatives of the King of England.  President George Washington sat in this pew for a benefit concert following the Revolution.  The pew's canopy is one of the only restored elements of King's Chapel; during the Revolution the Patriots pulled off the canopy to protest  the King's authority.  It was restored in 1928.

The Pulpit was built in 1717 by a local Huguenot carver for the first King's Chapel building.  It is the oldest pulpit in the United States still in use on its original site.  More than 30,000 sermons have been preached from it.  The hand carved rails leading up to it were made by apprentices.  Following Purital tradition, one of them rotates the wrong way, symbolizing human imperfection.