Category: 19th Century
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Our Favorite Old North Couples
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we’re celebrating some of our favorite couples in Old North Church’s history! William Croswell and Amanda Tarbell Let’s start with William and Amanda Croswell. From 1829 – 1840, William Croswell was the minister at Old North, and he lived in what is now the church’s archive room, just beneath the…
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The Misinformation is Coming from Inside the House
In 1893, a pamphlet titled “A Visit to the ‘Old North Church,’ Boston, Mass.” was written and published by Charles Downer, the church’s sexton. As the sexton, he was an employee of the church who was charged with the maintenance of the church’s buildings and outside spaces. At the time of publishing, Downer had worked…
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The Jewells of Old North
For nearly a century, a member of the Jewell family rang the historic bells at Old North Church. John H. S. Jewell began ringing the bells in 1847 and created a family tradition by teaching his younger brother Frederick Morse Jewell how to ring. The tradition continued when Frederick’s son, Charles Henry Jewell, took…
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Lafayette: America’s Favorite Frenchman
Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, made eight visits to Boston during his travels to the United States. According to Boston’s city records, he made six trips between 1778 and 1784 and two trips between 1824 and 1825.[1] Lafayette served with distinction under General George Washington and acted as his trusted advisor, earning a…
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Anti-Slavery and the Episcopal Church in the Antebellum and Civil War Era North
In this episode of Illuminating the Unseen, Jaimie examines how Episcopal churches in the northern United States, including Old North Church, responded to slavery and anti-Black racism between 1830 and 1865. Jaimie invites viewers to consider this guiding question: “How do civic institutions, like churches, become places that exercise control over marginalized people?” See below…
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The Christ Church (Old North) Scholars: Meet the Children Who Attended the United States’ First Sunday School
Boston’s Old North Church is perhaps best known for its pivotal role in the American Revolution. On the eve of April 18, 1775, church sexton Robert Newman and vestryman Capt. John Pulling Jr. ascended into the church’s steeple and hung signal lanterns to warn the colonists of the arrival of British troops “by sea” across…
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People of Color as Children and Elders in 18th and 19th Century Boston
In this episode of Illuminating the Unseen, Jaimie considers what it was like to be a Black or Indigenous child or elder in 18th and 19th-century Boston. In the United States, being very young or very old can increase our vulnerability. As Jaimie explains, both Black and Indigenous children and elders found themselves in uniquely…
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The People in the Pews: Joseph Warren Revere
Joseph Warren Revere, son of Paul Revere, attended the Old North Church in the early 19th century. He sat in Pew #54 with his family. Joseph Warren Revere was born in Boston on April 30, 1777, to Paul Revere and Rachel Walker Revere. He was the third of eight children from Paul Revere’s second marriage…
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The People in the Pews: Rev. William Thomas Smithett
Reverend William Thomas Smithett served as the Rector of Christ Church from 1851 to 1859 and owned Pew #19. His tenure as Rector undoubtedly ranks among the most disgraceful, embarrassing, and litigious periods in Old North’s nearly 300-year history. Rev. Smithett was serving as the minister of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Rondout,…
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The People in the Pews: The Pulpit – Rev. William Croswell
One of the ministers to preach from this wine glass pulpit was Rev. William Croswell. Church historian Mary Babcock described Croswell as “the very pulse of the machine…animating and vitalizing the whole fabric from bells to altar.” But while other Old North ministers have become well-known leaders in the history of the Episcopal Church, Rev.…