Immanuel Episcopal Church on the Green

Last updated

Immanuel Episcopal Church
IMMANUEL EPISCOPAL CHURCH ON THE GREEN, NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE.jpg
Immanuel Episcopal Church, 1970
Immanuel Episcopal Church on the Green
39°39′38.8″N75°33′45.5″W / 39.660778°N 75.562639°W / 39.660778; -75.562639
Location New Castle, Delaware
Country United States
Denomination Episcopal Church
Website www.immanuelonthegreen.org
History
StatusParish church
Founded1689
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Groundbreaking 1703
Completed1708
Administration
Province III
Diocese Delaware
Clergy
Rector The Rev'd Christopher P. Keene
Immanuel Episcopal Church on the Green
Part of New Castle Historic District (ID67000003)
Added to NRHPDecember 24, 1967 [1]

Immanuel on the Green (Episcopal) is an historic church in New Castle, Delaware, listed as a contributing property in the New Castle Historic District. [1] The church is situated near the center of New Castle at the northeast end of the Green, or town common, making it a prominent local landmark and tourist attraction. Operating continuously since 1689, it is the oldest Anglican parish in Delaware and the oldest continuously operating Anglican/Episcopal parish in the country. [2] The church building was constructed between 1703 and 1708 and enlarged in 1822. The interior and roof were rebuilt following a disastrous fire in 1980.

Contents

History

Immanuel Church was founded in 1689 as the first Anglican parish in the present-day state of Delaware, which at the time was still part of Pennsylvania. The first rector was the Rev. George Ross, who served from 1705 to 1708 and then from 1714 to 1754. [3] The church itself was constructed between 1703 and 1708, with the first services taking place there even before the building was completed. [2]

The church gradually fell into disrepair after the American Revolution. In 1820, Philadelphia architect William Strickland undertook a major renovation and expansion of the building which included a new transept, bell tower, steeple, roof, and interior. The interior was remodeled in the 1850s in the Victorian style, and again around 1900 in the Colonial Revival style. [3]

Immanuel Church caught fire on February 1, 1980 when embers from a nearby marsh fire landed on the roof. The roof, steeple, and interior of the building were completely destroyed, leaving only the exterior walls intact. Despite the severe damage, an outpouring of support from around the state that netted more than $2 million made it possible to rebuild the church. Restored to its 1822 appearance, the church was rededicated on December 18, 1982. [2]

Architecture

Church interior INTERIOR OF IMMANUEL EPISCOPAL CHURCH, NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE.jpg
Church interior

The National Register of Historic Places listing for the New Castle Historic District describes Immanuel Episcopal Church as a "stuccoed stone, 5 bay, center aisle church with clipped gable roof, and stone and frame spire with clock". [1] The current appearance of the building is mostly due to architect William Strickland, who was responsible for the transept and crenellated tower. The reconstructed roof, steeple, and interior also follow Strickland's design. [2]

Cemetery

Plaque commemorating the American Revolutionary War Patriots buried in Immanuel Episcopal Churchyard Plaque commemorating American Revolutionary War Patriots buried in Immanuel Episcopal Church in New Castle, DE.jpg
Plaque commemorating the American Revolutionary War Patriots buried in Immanuel Episcopal Churchyard

Several notable people are interred in the Immanuel Church cemetery:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Castle, Delaware</span> City in Delaware, United States

New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of 2020, the city's population was 5,551. New Castle constitutes part of the Delaware Valley or Philadelphia metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Read (American politician, born 1733)</span> American Founding Father and politician (1733–1798)

George Read was an American politician from New Castle in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a Continental Congressman from Delaware, a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, president of Delaware, and a member of the Federalist Party. In addition, Read served as U.S. Senator from Delaware and chief justice of Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Strickland (architect)</span> American architect

William Strickland was a noted architect and civil engineer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Nashville, Tennessee. A student of Benjamin Latrobe and mentor to Thomas Ustick Walter, Strickland helped establish the Greek Revival movement in the United States. A pioneering engineer, he wrote a seminal book on railroad construction, helped build several early American railroads, and designed the first ocean breakwater in the Western Hemisphere. He was elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1820.

Nicholas Van Dyke (politician, born 1769) American politician

Nicholas Van Dyke was an American lawyer and politician from New Castle, Delaware. He was a member of the Federalist Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly, as Attorney General of Delaware, as U.S. Representative from Delaware, and as U.S. senator from Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Gillespie Graham</span> Scottish architect (1776-1855)

James Gillespie Graham was a Scottish architect, prominent in the early 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square</span> Historic church in Washington, D.C., United States

St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square is a historic Episcopal church located at Sixteenth Street and H Street NW, in Washington, D.C., along Black Lives Matter Plaza. The Greek Revival building, designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, is adjacent to Lafayette Square, one block from the White House. It is often called the "Church of the Presidents".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Stockton</span> American politician

Thomas Stockton was an American soldier and politician from New Castle in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a veteran of the War of 1812, and a member of the Whig Party, who served as Governor of Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Burlington, New Jersey</span> Historic church in New Jersey, United States

St. Mary's Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal parish in Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. The original church was built in 1703. It was supplemented with a new church on adjacent land in 1854. On May 31, 1972, the new church was added to the National Register of Historic Places and on June 24, 1986, it was declared a National Historic Landmark. It is within the Burlington Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. James Episcopal Church, Mill Creek</span> Historic church in Delaware, United States

St. James Episcopal Church, Mill Creek, also known as St. James Church or St. James Church, Stanton, is an historic Episcopal church located at 2106 St. James Church Road, in Stanton, Mill Creek Hundred, New Castle County near Wilmington, Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes)</span> Church in Wilmington, Delaware

Holy Trinity Church, also known as Old Swedes, is a historic church at East 7th and Church Street in Wilmington, Delaware. It was consecrated on Trinity Sunday, June 4, 1699, by a predominantly Swedish congregation formerly of the colony of New Sweden. The church, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, is among the few surviving public buildings that reflect the Swedish colonial effort. The church is considered part of First State National Historical Park. The church, which is often visited by tourists, remains open for tours and religious activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christ Church, Philadelphia</span> Historic church in Pennsylvania, United States

Christ Church is an Episcopal church in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Albany, New York)</span> Historic church in New York, United States

St. Peter's Episcopal Church, also known as St. Peter's Church, is located in downtown Albany, New York, United States. It was designed in the mid-19th century by Richard Upjohn and his son Richard M. Upjohn in the French Gothic Revival architectural style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and designated a National Historic Landmark eight years later. It is also a contributing property to the Downtown Albany Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity Episcopal Church (Danville, Kentucky)</span> United States historic place

Trinity Episcopal Church in Danville, Kentucky was one of the first churches organized in the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky. Trinity Church is the oldest in-use church structure in Danville and the oldest continuously used Episcopal church building in the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington as well as the second oldest in Kentucky. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Luke's Episcopal Church (Beacon, New York)</span> Historic church in New York, United States

St. Luke's Episcopal Church is located in Beacon, New York, United States. The church complex of four buildings and a cemetery takes up a 12-acre (4.9 ha) parcel between Wolcott, Rector, Phillips and Union Streets. It was founded in 1832 as a religious school that soon became St. Anna's Church of Fishkill Landing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Michael's Episcopal Church (Birdsboro, Pennsylvania)</span> Historic church in Pennsylvania, United States

St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Parish House and Rectory is a group of architecturally-significant religious buildings located at 200-216 North Mill Street in Birdsboro, Berks County, Pennsylvania. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christ Church (Mount Pleasant, South Carolina)</span> Historic church in South Carolina, United States

Christ Episcopal Church is a church located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Carson City, Nevada)</span> Historic church in Nevada, United States

St. Peter's Episcopal Church is a large historic Carpenter Gothic Episcopal church building located at the corner of Division and Telegraph streets in Carson City, Nevada. Built in 1868, it is the oldest Episcopal church still in use in Nevada. On January 3, 1978, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mark's Anglican Church, Warwick</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

St Mark's Anglican Church is a heritage-listed church at 55 Albion Street, Warwick, Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the second church of that name on that site. It was designed by Richard George Suter and built in 1868 by John McCulloch. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Luke's Anglican Church, Toowoomba</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

St Luke's Anglican Church is a heritage-listed church at 152 Herries Street, Toowoomba City, Queensland, Australia. It is the second church on the site and was designed by John Hingeston Buckeridge and built in 1897. It is also known as St Luke's Church of England. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 28 July 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St James Anglican Church, Toowoomba</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

St James Church is a heritage-listed Anglican church at 145 Mort Street, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Richard George Suter and built from 1869 to 1953. It is also known as St James Church of England. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 28 July 2000.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kenney, Edward L. (July 19, 2003). "Immanuel Church is nearing 300". The News Journal. Wilmington, Del. p. B3.
  3. 1 2 "History of Immanuel". Immanuel Episcopal Church. Retrieved June 19, 2011.