King’s Chapel and Burying Ground

Boston
MA

Portrait by Artist to Come

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Intended to be a church that would be the equal of any in England, Kings Chapel magnificent interior is now considered the finest example of Georgian church architecture in North America. It was completed by America’s first architect, Peter Harrison, in 1754. The original plans included a steeple, never built, and a colonnade, which was not completed until after the Revolutionary War. (Note that the exterior columns, while appearing to be in stone, are in fact painted wood.)

The Burying Ground is as old as Boston itself, and was its only burial place for nearly 30 years. John Winthrop, the first Governor of Massachusetts is buried there, as is Paul Revere. William Dawes, the other rider to Lexington and Concord, was also buried there, but his body was later moved (first to the Central Burying Ground then to Forest Hills Cemetery).

Part of the Freedom Trail™.

Associated People

Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense (1775), urging the colonies to declare their independence, found 150,000 purchasers in a population of less than 3 million — the equivalent today of a sale of 14 million.

Richard Brookhiser
Gentleman Revolutionary: Gouverneur Morris, the Rake Who Wrote the Constitution (2003)