With Boston’s identity as a port city, the Old North Church was shaped in many ways by the congregation’s relationship with the Atlantic world and maritime industry. Researcher T.J. Todd dived into the stories of two of Old North’s most famous seafaring congregants: Captain Samuel Nicholson, the first commander of the USS Constitution, and Captain Thomas Gruchy, the privateer who captured and donated the beautiful carved angels in the church’s gallery. T.J. explored how the reputations and fortunes of these two captains were made, and lost, via the Atlantic.
In addition to the exploits of these notable sea captains, the talk delved into the everyday lives of Boston’s sailors, which included Old North’s free and indentured Black congregants. T.J. went beyond the walls of the church for a portrait of the excitement and struggles of a life at sea in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
