Old North Church

Old North Church (officially Christ Church in the City of Boston) is an Episcopal church at 191 Salem Street in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The church, built in 1723, is the oldest standing church in the city. Old North Church is notable for its role in Paul Revere's midnight ride on April 18, 1775, when two lanterns in the steeple were illuminated, alerting Patriots of British military movements amid the American Revolutionary War. The congregation continues to host services there, while the secular nonprofit Old North Illuminated oversees tourism and preservation efforts. One of the landmarks on Boston's Freedom Trail, the Old North Church is designated a National Historic Landmark and a Boston Landmark, and it is part of the Boston National Historical Park.

Christ Church held its first service on December 29, 1723, becoming Boston's second Anglican congregation. The building was completed in 1726, and additional features, including an organ and steeple, were installed over the two following decades. The church was closed between 1775 and 1778, amid the ongoing war. Among other 19th-century modifications, a new steeple and pews were added in the 1800s, and a rectory and sexton's house were built in 1850. The congregation dwindled during the late 19th century as the owners of pews died or moved out. After taking over the church, the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts renovated the building and added a chapel in the 1910s. Further modifications in the 20th century included various commemorative tablets, a new steeple in 1955, and renovations in the 1970s and 1980s. During the 21st century, Old North Illuminated added a gift shop and made additional repairs.

The Georgian-style design was likely influenced by Christopher Wren's London churches. The building has a rectangular nave, flanked by a tower to the west and a semicircular apse to the east. The tower has a belfry with eight change ringing bells cast in 1744, the oldest in North America, along with a steeple rising 191 feet (58 m) above ground. Inside, the church has two levels of pews, along with an organ, a pulpit, and ceiling murals. Below the nave is a crypt where an estimated 1,100 people, such as John Pitcairn and Samuel Nicholson, are interred. The grounds also include the church house at 193–195 Salem Street, the Italian chapel (now a gift shop), and Clough House. The buildings are all connected by paths and gardens. Commentators have described its history as highly significant and its architecture as imposing.

Old North Church (a.k.a. Christ Church) is situated at 191 Salem Street in the North End of Boston in Massachusetts, United States. It has frontage on Salem Street to the west and Unity Street to the east bordering Salem Court on the south. When the site was acquired in 1722, it had frontages of 59.5 ft (18.1 m) to the west, 121 ft (37 m) to the north, 58 ft (18 m) to the east, and 111 ft (34 m) to the south. The plot covers 16,062 square feet (1,492.2 m²), with irregular borders. The Old North Church complex consists primarily of four buildings: the church building, Italian chapel (now gift shop), vicarage, and Clough House. The complex also includes the church office and parish office, located in neighboring rowhouses on Salem Street.

The complex has multiple gardens, which flank the church to the north and south, surrounded by an iron fence. The 18th Century Garden, containing plants from that era, is at the rear (eastern) end of the church, near Clough House to the southeast. Next to it is the Memorial Garden, dedicated in 2007; it has dog tags commemorating Americans killed in Middle Eastern wars, along with a plaque and wreath commemorating British and British Commonwealth victims of these wars. Along Salem Court (next to the gift shop) is the St. Francis Garden, dating from the 1970s and commemorating the gift shop's former use as an Italian chapel. The northern side of the complex contains the Washington Memorial Garden, dating from the 1920s; it consists of a square garden and memorial plaques, surrounded by a brick wall. Next to it is the Third Lantern Garden, created to commemorate a lantern illuminated by U.S. President Gerald Ford in 1975. Brick paths connect the complex's buildings, and there is a brick stairway along the primary west–east path.

The Old North Church complex is surrounded by low- to mid-rise residential or commercial buildings. Paul Revere Mall extends southeast of the church and Unity Street, running to Hanover Street, and contains an equestrian statue of Paul Revere. It is a stop on the Freedom Trail, a path connecting historic sites in Boston; sequentially, it is between the Paul Revere House and Copp's Hill Burying Ground.

The current Old North Church is an Episcopal congregation formed as Christ Church in 1723. Its colloquial name, "Old North", originally referred to the Second Church, a Puritan congregation from 1649. Christ Church was the second Anglican church in the town of Boston, after King's Chapel, and was founded in response to overcrowding at King's Chapel. In 1722, Anthony Blount of the King's Chapel congregation paid Nathaniel Henchman £100 for property in the North End, upon which Christ Church was to be built. The site, situated inland from Boston Harbor and away from the existing meetinghouses, was less expensive than comparably sized lots in other parts of town. It also sat on higher land than any of Boston's other churches; the surrounding land, at the time, was being developed with speculative rowhouses.

Christ Church's congregation collected subscriptions during late 1722 and early 1723, with which they built a brick structure with a nave and tower. Ebenezer Clough and James Varney were the stonemasons, while Thomas Bennett and Thomas Tippin were the carpenters. Blount, an architectural advisor for the congregation, was heavily involved with the project until his death c. 1726 – c. 1727, Excavation of the cellar began in April 1723, and the cornerstone was laid on April 15 by King's Chapel rector Samuel Myles. The nave's columns were being installed by July, and windows from London were being imported the next month. Bricks were obtained from Medford, Massachusetts, and timber was sourced from York, Maine. In September 1723, Timothy Cutler arrived in Boston to become the congregation's first rector, serving for 42 years. Jason Haven had been called to minister, but his parishioners at the First Church and Parish in Dedham convinced him to stay. Work accelerated following Cutler's arrival.