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The church was in use from 1679 until its destruction in around the 1690s.
At that point in time, the vestry of the church decided to build a new church.
This was the result of that decision to build a new church.
And that also explains why it's so sturdy.
They didn't want to build another wooden church just to have it fall down again.
So they built it very, very strongly of brick.
During the Revolutionary War,
the church did not really play a pivotal role other than the fact that
Washington's troops marched on Cornwallis in Yorktown
and marched close by down New Kent Stage Road.
In March of 1759,
Colonel George Washington married the widow Martha Dandridge Custis.
One of Washington's best friends in the Virginia Militia,
Thomas Chamberlain introduced George to the widow Custis
at her plantation home, the White House,
and a courtship ensued.
And in March they were married by the parson here at the time, David Mossum.
There's really only two original pieces of church architecture
or furniture that have been here since the first church.
One of those items is this chest.
This chest dates from approximately 1680.
Therefore it was probably used in the original church that was built in 1679
prior to this church being built.
The rest of the items on the altar you'd find in any Episcopal church,
I will point out that this beautiful window up here
was uncovered during one of the restorations.
It had been covered up to prevent it from going into disrepair.
But hard for me to believe sometimes that that was ever covered up.
It's one of the most beautiful things in the church.
One of the most interesting features of the back of the church is the high walled pews.
These high walled pews were served to function.
In the winter months there was no heating in the church.
These high pews have a tendency to hold the heat once you get in them.
Plus during the colonial period the congregation was permitted to bring their dogs into the church with them to keep their feet warm.
What you see before you is a colonial era three-decker pulpit.
There are several churches in the diocese of Virginia that have three-decker pulpits.
Three-decker pulpits were designed for the reading of the word in the gospel.
The upper pulpit is where the rector or priest delivers the gospel and delivers the sermon.
The second level is where the celebrant or the priest conducts the service.
And the third level is where the lay readers read the scripture.
One other item up here on the second level is an original Bible from the 1680s.
It probably came over from the old church in Elven.
In the period prior to the Civil War in the late 1850s and early 1860s
many residents of New Kent evacuated the area based upon the fact that they were under the threat of invasion from the Northern Army.
So the church had been basically uninhabited for several years even before the Civil War,
even right after the Civil War started.
In 1862 during the Seven Days Campaign and the Peninsula Campaign of General McClellan
this church played a pivotal role during the battle of Chickahominy Swamp and of Seven Pines
and of Savage Station and served as the headquarters for General Edwin V Sumner
who was the commander of the right flank of McClellan's Army.
With a strategic location on the right flank of McClellan's Army
it became the headquarters for General Sumner for about three weeks.
His headquarters was here.
He used the building to stable his horses in addition to his provost guard
and his protection regiment which was the fifth Connecticut line.
They removed the portable pews that were in the church at that time
and they stable approximately 25 to 30 horses in the church.
At that period of time of course the Civil War history horses are more valuable than soldiers
so the horses got the best treatment and the soldiers got to camp out at tents in the area around the church.
History in old Virginia churches is actually a curse and a blessing.
The curse is that you're always very aware that the history surrounds you.
We're surrounded by historical churches in Richmond such as St. John's and a Bruton Parish in Williamsburg.
In one respect you can't escape it. It's everywhere and you feel a personal responsible
to maintain the historical nature of the church the same way the other two churches.
But at the same time we recognize that this place is a worship center
so it's a worship center and it's a historical place.
We set up our finances and our maintenance in order to separate out worship and history
but we're always aware that this is a historical place
and we're always very cognizant of the fact that it's our responsibility to maintain this
and to keep it going and to use it as it always has been used as a worship center.
