Christ Church (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this roadside historical marker:

Christ Church
City of Alexandria Est. 1749

Before the American Revolution, the Church of England was the established church of Virginia and part of the colonial government. For administrative purposes, the colony was divided into "parishes" and all residents paid taxes to maintain church activities.

Although Virginia was colonized in 1607, settlement northward moved slowly and Alexandria was not established until 1749. By 1753, Alexandria had a "chapel of ease" to provide a place of worship for residents closer than the main Anglican church seven miles west. In 1765, a new parish in northern Virginia was created, and the inadequate buildings at Falls Church and Alexandria were replaced. Two new churches, designed by James Wren, were built in each town from one set of plans, and completed just before the Revolutionary War. After the war, government support of religious institutions ended but Alexandria's Christ Church, located one block north, prospered with the support of area residents like George Washington and the clerical leadership of David Griffith, Bryan Fairfax, and William Meade. On April 21, 1861, after resigning his commission in the United States Army, Robert E. Lee attended Sunday morning services at the church.

During the Civil War, when the Union Army occupied Alexandria, it seized many churches for use as hospitals or stables. Fortunately, as George Washington's place of worship, Christ Church was largely preserved with its interior intact. After the war ended, in 1869, a Mother's Mission to assist poor women in the area was established, and three years later, parishioner Sallie Stuart led efforts to create missions of the newly formed National Women's Auxiliary to the Board of Missions throughout Alexandria.

Throughout our nation's history, Christ Church has been visited by many American Presidents and world leaders. On January 1, 1942, just weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill visited the church to commemorate the World Day of Prayer for Peace. The church is open for worship and public tours.

Erected by City of Alexandria.


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Located in Alexandria, Virginia, Christ Church opened its doors in 1773 to serve the Church of England's Fairfax Parish. George Washington helped fund the construction of the church, and his personal bible was presented to the parishioners of Christ Church in 1804, by George Washington Parke Custis.

Surrounded by its quaint old churchyard, Christ Church is a premier historic landmark in the heart of Alexandria and the Alexandria Historic District. It was built in 1767-73 from plans by James Wren, one of colonial Virginia’s few identified architects. Begun by James Parsons, “undertaker,” and completed by Col. John Carlyle, the Georgian building employs a rectangular format with two tiers of windows. Its Aquia Creek sandstone Palladian window and rusticated doorways are based on designs published by Batty Langley. Inside is the original wine-glass pulpit and altarpiece built against the Palladian window. The gallery was installed in 1785; the steeple was added in 1799.


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Here follows an excerpt from "A Closer Look At Christ Church" as published on the church's website:

Detailed History of Christ Church:
The Church of England, the established church of Virginia, was part of and protected by the colonial government, which divided the colony into geographical areas known as parishes for administrative purposes. All residents of a parish were members of it and required to pay taxes to sustain it. An elected vestry of twelve men conducted the business of the parish, which consisted primarily of religious activities and provision of the equivalent of modern social welfare services.

The City of Alexandria, founded in 1749, had a chapel of ease located here by 1753—
a place of worship for the convenience of parishioners distant from the main church. In 1765, the growth of the population led the Virginia legislature to divide the parish. The new parish created out of the northern end of Truro parish was named Fairfax. Its vestry decided that the main church at Falls Church and the chapel of ease at Alexandria were inadequate and would be replaced. Two new, similar churches, designed by James Wren, were then built from one set of plans.

The American Revolution began shortly after completion of the churches and ultimately required the organization of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, an autonomous province of the worldwide Anglican Communion. This change meant the end of government support and protection. Unlike many Virginia parishes, Christ Church survived and grew through the support of local residents like George Washington and the clerical leadership of David Griffith and Bryan Fairfax. The church was vigorous enough to accommodate a division that resulted in the establishment of St. Paul’s, also in Alexandria, in 1809.

From 1811 to 1813, William Meade served as rector of Christ Church. Later bishop of Virginia and presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church of the Confederate States, Meade infused new energy into the spiritual life of the community. His handpicked successor, Oliver Norris, continued Meade’s success and arranged for the church’s official consecration as Christ Church by Bishop Thomas Claggett of Maryland on January 9, 1814. Meade and his associates further enriched the church by founding Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria in 1823. Throughout the remainder of the antebellum era, Christ Church drew on these foundations to sustain its ministry.

The Civil War abruptly altered life at Christ Church. When the U.S. Army occupied Alexandria in 1861, it seized many churches for use as hospitals or stables. However, the reputation of Christ Church as George Washington’s place of worship preserved it as a church where U.S. Army chaplains conducted services. Parishioners who remained in the area worshiped elsewhere. In 1866, Christ Church, its interior intact, was restored to its parishioners.

Ironically, the postwar years saw more changes to the interior of Christ Church than did the war years. During this period, the Rev. Randolph H. McKim modernized it to Victorian tastes, but the 1890s restoration restored its Georgian integrity.

The president of the United States traditionally visits Christ Church during his administration, often on a Sunday near Washington’s birthday. Some presidential visits, however, have been in conjunction with other events, most notably the January 1, 1942, visit by President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill for the World Day of Prayer for Peace during World War II.

The People of Christ Church:
George Washington was first elected to the Truro Parish in 1762. The parish, a geographic area, included Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, and Mt. Vernon.

Washington bought and later rented a box family pew and attended services when in Alexandria. Visitors are welcome to sit in the pew.

Robert E. Lee attended Christ Church throughout his life from the time he was three. A silver plaque on the chancel rail marks the spot, where on July 17, 1853, with two of his daughters, Lee knelt to be confirmed by the assistant bishop of Virginia, John Johns. Lee married George Washington’s step-great-granddaughter, Mary Anna Randolph Custis.

Dr. David Griffith, the rector of this parish and the Falls Church from 1779 until his death a decade later, helped organize the Diocese of Virginia and the Episcopal Church in the United States. A physician and a clergyman, he also had served as chaplain to a regiment of the Continental Army closely associated with Washington.

The churchyard was the burying ground for the town of Alexandria until 1809. Later interments took place at the Christ Church cemetery on Wilkes Street, the resting place of many members of the Lee and Mason families.

Church Building:
Construction of the mid-eighteenth-century, Georgian-style church began in 1767 under the direction of James Parsons. John Carlyle supervised the work from 1772 until its completion in February 1773. The brick exterior is laid in Flemish bond with glazed headers and the quoins are of Aquia sandstone. The roof originally had juniper shingles that were later replaced with slate. Box pews, such as the one that belonged to George Washington, lined aisles of brick tile floors; wooden planks covered the floors of the pews, elevated then as now above the level of the aisles. On several occasions, the interior suffered modifications, but it now appears as it did in the 1890s after a restoration consistent with the original Georgian detailing.

The Palladian chancel window is an unusual feature in a colonial Virginia church. James Wren, who created the architectural drawings and specifications for Christ Church, also hand-lettered the panels that flank the window. A 1602 canon of the Church of England directed that the Ten Commandments be set upon the East-end of every Church and Chapel where the people may best see and read the same, and other chosen Sentences. At Christ Church, these also include the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Golden Rule. The background of the panels was originally white, but over the years it has mellowed into the soft gold seen today. The panels have never been retouched.

No record remains of the exact location and design of the earliest pulpit, but the wineglass pulpit, installed during the 1890s restoration, is consistent with the design, location, and liturgical practices of the period when the church was built.

James Wren’s plans spaced the windows to admit of galleries, which the church added about 1787 when attendance had outgrown available seating on the main level. The lower portion of the bell tower provided the stairway to the galleries; the upper section was added about 1820. The small chandelier under the west gallery, purchased in 1817, initially hung in the center of the church.

Click here to download a collection of images tracing the history of our campus. Note: this is a large file and may take several minutes to download.

Churchyard:
PRESERVING OUR NATION'S HISTORY AT CHRIST CHURCH

Contributing to the grace and beauty of Christ Church is its beautiful surrounding churchyard characterized by lush gardens and grave markers.

For the most part our oldest gravestones reflect the names of prosperous townspeople because the majority of common folk could not afford elaborate inscribed headstones. However, we do know that the majority of people buried in the churchyard were not wealthy. Some were destitute and most were white, but burial records show that 11 African-Americans were buried in Christ Church plots from 1788-1796. By 1796, 470 people were interred at Christ Church. How many found a resting-place here before and after those dates is not known because complete records do not exist. However, the best estimate taken from average annual deaths at the time, indicates that over 1,000 were interred in the approximately one half acre churchyard.

Burials were restricted to church members in 1807, and ceased with the adoption of a city ordinance effective in March 1809 banning all burials within the city limits. There are two instances of later interments in 1815, Peter Wise asked for and obtained permission to be interred in the churchyard next to his deceased wife. The last person to be buried within the confines of the churchyard was Charles Bennett, whose remains were belatedly interred in 1841. He died on April 24, 1839. Since he had left much of his wealth to the city of Alexandria and requested to be buried on the Christ Church grounds, the town council deferred to his wishes. A large obelisk was erected in his honor and his body was entombed within the monument in a vault. The obelisk monument stands in contrast to the earlier traditional stones. Although burials of human remains in caskets ended in 1809, interment of ashes is permitted in the historic cemetery.

The original dimensions of the Christ Church yard were much larger than the current land that exists within the confines of the existing wall. The deed included its boundary land, 23 feet on the northern side of what is now Cameron Street and further to the west of Columbus Street. In early days many interments were made on the north side, in grounds included in the Alexander grant. However, as church property shrank, those bodies were excavated and interred on church property. In the fall of 1795, the vestry ordered removal of the sexton's house and constructed a fence on the north side of the church that conformed to that on the southern side of Cameron Street. This required the church exhume the bodies from under the redrawn Cameron Street to within the boundaries of the Christ Church lot. This parcel was the subject of controversy until 1816 when the church yielded its claim.

Definition of the present churchyard began in 1828 with the construction of a brick and metal fence along the east border of the yard -- now Washington Street. A gate was also constructed at the center point of entry into the yard. Construction of the wall segments along Cameron Street on the north boundary and Columbus Street on the west were not completed until after the Civil War. Deterioration of the brick components of the wall has over the years led to its restoration beginning with the Washington Street edifice in 1998. Restoration of the Cameron Street segment was completed in 1999 and the Columbus Street portion in 2002. When burials in the immediate churchyard ended, an additional plot of land was acquired by Christ Church at nearby Wilkes Street in Alexandria for development as a cemetery. The Wilkes Street Cemetery, as it is known, has not been used for interments for many years. However, recent improvements in the property have opened the way for burials in the future.

Grave markers are not currently where they were originally placed. In the Civil War era, grave markers were removed and stacked along the north wall of the Parish House. Markers were moved again in 1987 during construction of the structure connecting the two parish halls. The Alexandria Gazette reported on June 3, 1987 that "archaeologists inspecting for grave sites in preparation for building of a new church parish hall were finding few remains or artifacts due to the acidity of the soil." Steve Shephard, of the Alexandria archaeological staff, "it is just a stain on the ground... as a light change in color... it is literally a case of dust to dust."

Christ Church thrived as the port of Alexandria prospered and expanded. Many of its members were wealthy and influential people. Prominent Alexandrians attended Christ Church, among them the first Lord Mayor William Ramsey and his wife; both were buried in the churchyard. Col. Philip Marsteller, one of George Washington's pallbearers is in the yard. He had a handsome table stone monument under an old sycamore near the west fence. It was carried off during the Civil War and hasn't been seen since. Today an unassuming bronze plaque has been laid near the original location. The pedestal stone of Jacob Reisler early occupant of the church graveyard was discovered inside the grave of Ann Warren. She was an actress from Baltimore who died in Alexandria in 1808. The inscription on the monument records her many virtues and states, that she was an 'ornament' of the American stage.

Walking east from the church, near the Washington Street side, there is an unpretentious mound covered with ivy. It is the final resting-place of Confederate prisoners of war. There is on the mound a stone slab at the base of which is a brass plaque. A tribute to the soldiers buried here is written on the brass plaque. The names of the men, the units they served in and the states they came from are listed on the stone.

It has been said that many of the grave markers have been taken from the churchyard and used as steps and walkways in front of Old Town residences.

Graveyard:
WILKES STREET CEMETERY

In colonial America, the area around a church was known as the churchyard. A remote location for burials was known as a graveyard. In 1804, the Alexandria city council banned burials within the city limits due to health concerns related to cholera and other infectious diseases being common in the early years of the 19th century. The City then allocated space for church graveyards south of town, off Wilkes Street, on part of what was known at the time as Spring Garden Farm. This area provided more burial space and located the graveyards down-river from the city water supply.

Christ Church purchased land there for its graveyard on December 15, 1808, as recorded in the land records at Fairfax County Court House. On April 20, 1809 the Christ Church vestry decreed that burials in the churchyard would cease as of May 1, 1809, “and that the Warder or Treasurer be authorized to make sale of lots in the new burial ground to any person”.

Today, the graveyard is bounded on the east by Douglass Cemetery, on the west by a hearse road and Trinity United Methodist church cemetery, on the south by Wilkes Street, and on the north by the former Orange and Alexandria railroad yard which is now Jamieson Street.

There were no public parks in Alexandria’s early days and churchyards and graveyards frequently served as picnic grounds with table marker stones serving as picnic tables. This tradition continued with maintenance of family plots and as part of the observance of Decoration or Memorial Day.

The earliest burials in the graveyard represented much of the gentry in Alexandria, including the burial of members of the Cooper, Daingerfield, Gilpin, Lawrason, Lee, and Mason families. During and shortly after the Civil War, the population of the graveyard grew substantially. Burial of cremated ashes continues today.

There are many Confederate veterans buried in the graveyard and the churchyard.

The graveyard has not always been maintained as it lovingly is today. In its early years livestock may have been allowed to graze there, accomplishing the dual function of trimming and fertilizing. As its use declined in the 20th century, the graveyard was allowed to grow over with natural vegetation. In the mid-1970s, a committee of parishioners was formed for the upkeep of the graveyard. It has since been maintained in a manner that honors the memories of those buried there. For many years a service of remembrance has been held there every year on Memorial Day.

Notable burials:
Major Samuel Cooper, Revolutionary War soldier who fought at Bunker Hill, Trenton, Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth among other battles, died 1840, age 84.

General Samuel Cooper (Major Cooper’s son), Adjutant and Inspector General U.S.A and C.S.A., died 1876, age 79.

John Bathurst Daingerfield, died 1886, and his wife Rebecca Holmes (Fowle) Daingerfield, died 1885.

Thomas Lawrason, died 1819, age 39, who built a house at 301 S. Saint Asaph visited in 1824 by the Marquis de Lafayette

James Lawrason born 1753 and died 1824, was a lieutenant in the Revolutionary War

Edmund Jennings Lee, noted public servant, mayor of Alexandria and attorney, died 1843, age 71.

Commodore Sydney Smith Lee, Confederate States Navy and brother of Robert E. Lee, died 1869, age 66, and his wife Anna Maria Mason Lee, died 1898.

James Murray Mason (died 1871), Confederate envoy, who with John Slidell, passengers on the British merchant vessel Trent, was arrested by the U.S. Navy in November 1861 on the high seas, causing an international incident between the United States and Britain. It is known to history as the Trent Affair.

Bromley Organ:
The new Bromley Organ arrived at Christ Church on November 19, 2021! Built by Harrison & Harrison in Durham, England, the organ will be professionally installed and voiced. Thank you to everyone who has given time, talent, and treasure to make this new chapter in the music life of Christ Church become a reality, especially Cap & Marilyn Bromley whose generous gift kicked off the search for our new instrument. Read more about the lengthy process here. We have much to be grateful for and much to celebrate!

1942 National Day of Prayer:
President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill worship at Christ Church for National Day of Prayer following U.S. entry into World War II.

On New Year’s Day 1942, during the dark days of World War II, praying for national forgiveness was the first order of business. In dreary weather, President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill motored from the White House to worship at historic Christ Church in neighboring Alexandria, Virginia. A master of civil religion, Roosevelt had appointed January 1 a national day of prayer, and he chose George Washington’s church to observe it.

2016 marks the 75th anniversary of this historic day. Former Warden John Lawson wrote about this turning point in our nation's history. We highlighted the article in a three-part series in our monthly publication, Rejoice. You can read the full version here.

On Sunday, January 1, 2017, we will celebrate the 75th anniversary with a Service of Prayer for Peace at Christ Church, remembering those prayers prayed so many years ago but also adding our own voices and prayers for our nation, calling for an end to the violence that plagues us both here and abroad, calling for strength and humility in our nation’s leaders, and calling for justice and mercy to be practiced in the public sphere. Worship will begin at 10:00 a.m. and will include music and Holy Eucharist.

Tombstone Inscriptions:
The graveyard has not always been maintained as it lovingly is today. In its early years livestock may have been allowed to graze there, accomplishing the dual function of trimming and fertilizing. As its use declined in the 20th century, the graveyard was allowed to grow over with natural vegetation. In the mid-1970s, a committee of parishioners was formed for the upkeep of the graveyard. It has since been maintained in a manner that honors the memories of those buried there.

The Confederate Monument Inscriptions:
The Inscription reads:
How sleep the brave, who sink to rest
By all their Country's wishes blest,

Beneath this mound lie the remains of thirty-four confederate soldiers, which were disinterred from the Alexandria Soldiers Cemetery (Federal) and reinterred in this ground on the 27th day of December, 1878, under the auspices of the "Southern Memorial Association" of Alexandria, Va. These men were prisoners of war who died in the Federal Hospitals in this city.


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Here follows an excerpt of the church timeline from "A Closer Look At Christ Church" as published on the church's website:

1749:
The Virginia Assembly passes a law chartering a town on the site of Hunting Creek Warehouse (also called Belle Haven). It is named Alexandria in honor of the owner of much of the land, Scotsman John Alexander.

1753:
A Church of England chapel of ease, which is a place of worship for the convenience of parishioners distant from the main church, is located in the vicinity of Alexandria.

1762:
George Washington is appointed as a vestryman of Truro Parish of Fairfax County, Virginia, a Church of England parish responsible for maintaining and constructing church properties, electing ministers, and setting the annual parish levy to pay ministers’ salaries and provide for the parish poor and other individuals who cannot otherwise care for themselves.

1765:
Truro Parish is subdivided to create Fairfax Parish, which includes Alexandria.

The Fairfax Parish vestry conducts a study of church properties under its jurisdiction, leading to a decision to replace the chapel of ease in Alexandria and an older church building in Falls Church, Virginia with new church buildings.

1766:
The first burial is documented in the present-day Christ Church churchyard, which at that time was a piece of land in the woods outside of Alexandria.

1767:
The Fairfax Parish vestry adopts plans from architect James Wren for the new churches in Alexandria and Falls Church, and enters into an agreement with James Parsons to construct the new church in Alexandria for £600, based on the drawings by Wren. Construction on the church begins. John Alexander sells the Parish one acre of land for one penny.

1772:
Parsons is unable to finish his charge and John Carlyle, an Alexander merchant and developer, wins a bid to complete the church's construction for £220.

1773:
On February 27, the church building is received as completed from John Carlyle. It is known as the "Church in the Woods" (since it is located in a grove of trees outside city limits), the Church at Alexandria, or the Church nigh Alexandria because of its location west of the Alexandria town boundary at the time.

The Fairfax Parish vestry sells ten box pews to the highest bidders to fund the £220 payment made to Carlyle, with George Washington purchasing pew #5 for 36 pounds, 10 shillings, the highest price paid.

Washington’s diary notes that he attended services at “Alexandria Church” on June 13, 1773, which probably is the first time he worshipped at the church.

1775:
The Battles of Lexington and Concord are fought in April, triggering the Revolutionary War (1775-1783).

1776:
On July 4, the Continental Congress officially approves the Declaration of Independence.

1779:
The Rev. Dr. David Griffith serves as Rector. Griffith was a chaplain in the 3rd Virginia Regiment during the Revolutionary War and was with Washington at Valley Forge. He is elected first Bishop of Virginia in 1786, but cannot raise the funds to travel to England for his consecration and relinquishes his appointment in 1789.

1783:
On September 3, the Treaty of Paris is signed, bringing the Revolutionary War to its conclusion.

1785:
The Virginia General Assembly passes the Virginia Statute for Establishing Religious Freedom, completing the separation of Church and State in Virginia, ending secular duties of the Church of England and completing the abolition of the system of tax support.

The Fairfax Parish vestry begins to establish a system of pew rents as the church’s major source of funding, in place of the former system of tax support. George Washington is among the first to subscribe, agreeing to pay an annual rent of five pounds Virginia money for his pew.

The second-floor galleries are constructed.

A series of General Conventions are held in Philadelphia to unify all former Church of England congregations in the United States into a single national church, The Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America. The Book of Common Prayer is revised, principally in removing the prayer for the English monarch. A constitution is adopted along with a set of canon laws.

1790:
The Rev. Bryan Fairfax serves as rector before travelling to England in 1793 to claim the title of Eighth Lord Fairfax. He is the first American to become a member of the British House of Lords.

1793:
On July 4, the first Presidential attendance at a Christ Church service occurs when President George Washington attends a service held as part of Alexandria festivities commemorating the Declaration of Independence.

1799:
On his last recorded visit to Alexandria, George Washington attends a service at Christ Church on November 17.

·George Washington dies at Mount Vernon on December 14. The Rev. Thomas Davis of the church speaks at community memorial services at Old Presbyterian Meeting House and at Washington’s funeral and interment at Mount Vernon on December 18.

1804:
One of George Washington’s Bibles is presented to the church by George Washington Parke Custis, Martha Washington’s grandson and Washington's adopted grandson. The Bible currently resides at Mount Vernon and is brought to Christ Church each year to use in the Presidents’ Day Service.

1807:
After the city of Alexandria bans burials within city limits due to health concerns, the church restricts burials in its churchyard to church members and contributors.

1808:
The church purchases land south of Alexandria off of Wilkes Street and establishes a church cemetery in what today is known as the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex.

1809:
The church vestry decrees that all burials in the churchyard will cease.

The Rev. William Lewis Gibson and approximately half of the church congregation depart and establish St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria.

1810:
Light-Horse Harry Lee moves his second wife Anne and three children, including three-year-old Robert E. Lee, to 611 Cameron Street, two doors down from the church. The Episcopalian family begins to regularly attend services at the church.

1811:
The Rev. William Meade serves as Rector. He energizes the church by increasing the participation of the congregation in his services and by teaching basic Christian doctrine to the children through Catechism. He becomes an influential leader in the Episcopal Church and is consecrated in 1829 as Assistant Bishop to the Rt. Rev. Richard Moore and then succeeds Moore as Bishop of Virginia in 1841.

1812:
Heating stoves and flues are installed at the rear of the church, and the transverse aisle is laid.

1814:
Bishop Thomas Claggett of Maryland consecrates the church, giving it the name Christ Church four decades after its completion.

British warships arrive off the shore of Alexandria after the burning of the nation’s Capitol during the War of 1812. The British promise not to destroy the town if it surrenders all naval stores, shipping, and merchandise being exported. An appointed Alexandrian delegation of three that includes Christ Church vestryman Edmund Jennings Lee agrees, and the British depart with ships from Alexandria’s wharves and contents from its warehouses.

1815:
The first documented organ is installed in the Christ Church gallery, built by Jacob Hilbus and Henry Harrison of Washington, D.C. Since 1907, the Hilbus organ has been in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

1816:
Christ Church begins to divide the box pews throughout the church into more modern single pews. George Washington’s box pew first is divided, and then eventually restored to its original box pew configuration.

1817:
After negotiations with the City of Alexandria, the Christ Church vestry abandons plans to raze and reconstruct the church building to accommodate the City's planned extension of Cameron Street that was platted directly though the building. The City instead decides to jog Cameron Street around the churchyard.

A cut-glass chandelier, now under the rear gallery, is purchased from England and hung from the middle of the church.

1818:
Construction on the Christ Church steeple is completed, and the bell is hung.

Captain James Croudhill presents a marble baptismal font to the church.

The first Sunday school is established in Christ Church. In the 1820s, the school enrolled 100-200 children taught by 12-15 teachers.

1829:
The iron fence, brick piers, and gate that still stand on Washington Street are erected

1831:
Robert E. Lee marries Mary Custis, a fellow Christ Church parishioner and Martha Washington’s great-granddaughter. The wedding is held at Mary’s home (now known as Arlington House in Arlington Cemetery) instead of Lee’s preferred venue, Christ Church.

1840:
The Hilbus organ is replaced by an instrument built by George Jardine of New York City.

1853:
Christ Church constructs a porch at the southwest entrance, installs gas for illumination purposes, installs a furnace, and raises the floor by six inches to accommodate the heating ducts.

Robert E. Lee is confirmed with daughters Mary and Annie at the chancel of Christ Church.

1854:
Christ Church begins to build the brick parish house on the southwest corner of the property.

1858:
Robert E. and Mary Custis Lee purchase a pew at Christ Church.

1861:
On April 12, the Civil War begins when the Confederates bombard Fort Sumter in South Carolina.

On April 17, a Virginia Convention votes 88-55 to succeed from the Union.

On April 21, Robert E. Lee, having declined an offer to command the Union army, attends a Christ Church Sunday morning service. The next day, he travels to Richmond where he accepts a General’s commission in the newly-formed Confederate Army.

On May 23, Virginia voters ratify the Virginia convention's vote for secession.

On May 24, Union troops cross the Potomac and occupy Alexandria for the remainder of the war.

Union chaplains and clergy move into the parsonage and conduct services at Christ Church throughout the war. The Christ Church congregation and vestry are dislocated.

1863:
On January 1, President Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring "that all persons held as slaves" within the Confederate states "are, and henceforward shall be free." The Proclamation does not end all slavery, but serves as a declaration of freedom that takes effect as the Union troops advance through the South.

1865:
On April 9, General Robert E. Lee surrenders the main Confederate army, the Army of Northern Virginia, to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia.

On April 14, President Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.

On December 6, the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude except as punishment for a crime, is ratified by the required number of states.

1866:
On June 2, Christ Church is returned to its parishioners, with its interior intact. The Rt. Rev. John Johns, Bishop of Virginia, negotiates a merger of its old and new parishioners.

1867:
Christ Church undertakes a Victorian redecoration of the church interior that vastly changes its appearance. The pulpit is replaced, the chancel is raised, carpeting is installed, the 1817 chandelier is removed, gas lighting fixtures are installed, and all wood trim is painted brown.

1870:
Christ Church establishes and builds Meade Chapel, a mission church in Alexandria that eventually became a predominantly African-American independent place of worship known today as Meade Memorial Episcopal Church.

The vestry approves a proposition of the ladies of the church to erect two memorial tablets in the Christ Church chapel in memory of George Washington and Robert E. Lee.

1871:
Christ Church establishes a “colored Sunday school”, which eventually grows to 50-90 students and moves to Meade Chapel.

1873:
Christ Church celebrates its centennial on November 20-21. Alexandrians and local clergy attend the November 20 community service during which the Rev. Randolph Harrison McKim delivers a sermon on the history of the parish.

1877:
An iron fence with brick piers is erected on Cameron and Columbus Streets, to match the earlier fence and gate on Washington Street.

1878:
Remains of 34 Confederate POWs who died in Federal prisons are removed from the Alexandria National Cemetery and re-interred in the Christ Church churchyard under the auspices of Southern Memorial Association.

1886:
Christ Church installs its third organ, which is produced by Hook and Hastings of Boston.

1891:
The interior of Christ Church is restored to its colonial appearance. A wine glass pulpit and sounding board are reinstalled, and the 1817 chandelier is returned, restored, and hung from the center of the ceiling.

1898:
A fee for tourist visitation to Christ Church is established to protect it from vandalism, and a turnstile is installed at the Columbus Street gate.

1899:
After Anthony Charles Cazenove leaves a legacy of $1,500 to Christ Church upon his death on the condition that his rented family pew be forever constituted a free pew for the use of strangers in memory of his father, William Gardner Cazenove, the church vestry declares the pew “to be always known and marked as the William G. Cazenove free pew for Strangers."

1901:
Shortly after President Theodore Roosevelt takes office, First Lady Edith Roosevelt and three of the Roosevelt children visit Christ Church to inspect the points of interest inside the church and on its grounds

1909:
The Mount Vernon Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) presents to Christ Church a plaque honoring George Washington's pallbearers, which is placed by the church door.

1912:
On February 22, President Taft attends a special service at Christ Church after a day of activities in Alexandria and Mount Vernon in celebration of George Washington’s birthday.

1914:
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austria-Hungarian Empire, triggers World War I in Europe

1917:
The United States enters World War I after President Woodrow Wilson addresses a joint session of Congress on April 2 with a request to declare war on Germany.

The system of pew rents is abolished in favor of voluntary pledging as way to finance Christ Church.

1918:
The Christ Church Parish Hall is used as a temporary hospital for Spanish flu victims

1919:
As Alexandrians celebrates World War I Welcome Home Week in June 1919, The Rev. William Jackson Morton holds a special service in Christ Church on June 8, and a week later 50 wounded servicemen are invited to the church for prayers, hymns, and dinner in the churchyard. On November 11, World War I officially ends with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

Two fir trees with bronze plaques are planted in the churchyard to memorialize two Christ Church parishioners who died while serving in World War I - Lieutenant George Moncrief Anderton and Sargent Major John Leadbeater.

1920:
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote, is ratified by the required number of states. The Amendment does not eliminate state laws, including those in Virginia, that prevent many Black American women from voting through poll taxes, literacy tests, and questions about the state constitution.

1921:
Christ Church's fourth organ, manufactured by Hillgreen Lane of Alliance, Ohio and given as a gift from the Carnegie Foundation, is installed on the first floor in the northeast corner of the church.

1923:
Electricity is installed in Christ Church. A Belgian crystal electric chandelier replaces gas lighting, and the 1817 chandelier formerly hung from the center of the church is relocated to the west end under the gallery.

1924:
President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace Coolidge attend Christ Church's George Washington birthday service.

1927:
The first vacation bible school is held at Christ Church.

1931:
On February 21, President Herbert Hoover, First Lady Lou Henry Hoover, and granddaughter Peggy Ann attend a Christ Church service in observance of George Washington’s 199th birthday.

1932:
Christ Church celebrates the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s birth with a year-long program of events.

On February 21, President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou Henry Hoover attend a Christ Church service in observance of George Washington’s 200th birthday.

1933:
Hitler’s invasion of Poland drives Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany, triggering World War II in Europe.

1941:
On December 7, Imperial Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, a U.S. Naval Base near Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians, and another 1,000 people were wounded.

On December 8, Congress approves President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s declaration of war on Japan. Three days later, Japan’s allies, Germany and Italy, declare war against the United States.

1942:
On January 1, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill worship at Christ Church on the National Day of Prayer.

1945:
On May 8, the Allies of World War II accept Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces, ending World War II in Europe.

On September 2, Imperial Japan surrenders to the Allied Powers, ending World War II in Japan.

1946:
On November 28, President Harry Truman and First Lady Bess Truman attend a Thanksgiving Day service at Christ Church.

1947:
Christ Church stops charging tourists an admission fee to the church, and removes the turnstile.

1950:
A second Parish House, Memorial Parish Hall, is constructed on the southeast corner of the property facing Washington Street.

1953:
On February 22, President Dwight Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower attend a service at Christ Church on George Washington’s birthday.

1961:
An air conditioning system and a sprinkler system for fire protection are installed at the church.

1963:
On November 22, President John F. Kennedy is assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas.

1965:
On February 21, President Lyndon Baines Johnson and First Lady Ladybird Johnson attend a Christ Church service in recognition of George Washington’s Birthday.

1967:
The first women, Marguerite Lamond and Edna Rublee, are elected to the Christ Church Vestry (Lamond pictured).

1968:
On April 4, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is fatally shot by James Earl Ray while standing on the balcony of a motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Following the news of King's murder, racial violence breaks out in cities nationwide.

On June 5, Senator Robert F. Kennedy is fatally shot by Sirhan Sirhan in Los Angeles, California after winning the state's Presidential Primary.

1970:
Christ Church is designated as a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of Interior’s National Parks Service.

1973:
Christ Church celebrates its Bicentennial on February 25 with The Great Bicentennial Service. The day begins with a street parade led by St. Andrew’s bagpipers, and the Rt. Rev. John E. Hines, the presiding Bishop of Virginia, preaches at the service. Special music for the service is composed by the Canon Precentor of the Washington Cathedral, and lessons are read from George Washington’s bible.

1975:
A new organ, made by Austin Organ Co. of Hartford, Connecticut, is installed in the church.

On February 23, President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford attend a Christ Church service in recognition of George Washington’s birthday.

On April 30, the Vietnam War ends when North Vietnamese troops enter Saigon, South Vietnam as the last Americans evacuate the city.

1976:
Christ Church celebrates America’s Bicentennial.

1979:
The Christ Church Foundation is incorporated. Begun with a 1918 bequest of $10,000 from Mary Custis Lee, last living child of Robert E. Lee, the Foundation was established to embody the continuing legacy of the faith and gifts of generations of parishioners.

1980:
The first female seminarian, Joan Smith, begins serving at Christ Church

1981:
On January 6, President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Roslyn Carter attend a Christ Church service.

On February 15, Vice President (and future President) George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush attend a Christ Church service in recognition of George Washington’s Birthday.

1982:
On February 21, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan attend a Christ Church service in recognition of George Washington’s birthday.

Christ Church establishes a ministry to Mengo Hospital in Uganda, which had just emerged from the chaos and violence of Idi Amin’s rule.

1985:
The two Parish Halls are remodeled and connected. A number of early graves are located and excavated, and the remains are reinterred in the churchyard.

1987:
A reorganized and expanded Christ Church Gift Shop opens. Gift Shop proceeds are returned to the community through the church’s outreach and mission programs.

1991:
The church launches the Lazarus Ministry to address the immediate needs of Alexandria residents in crisis situations.

The church establishes annual mission trips to Our Little Roses in Honduras, a home for girls who previously have been abandoned or abused and have lived in extreme poverty.

1992:
On November 13, the Vespry Society hosts a program and reception at Christ Church for civil rights activist Rosa Parks, who speaks on “The Future of America: Past, Present and Future” and signs copies of her new book, Rosa Parks: My Story.

1997:
Christ Church establishes a covenant relationship with persecuted Christians in the Diocese of Renk in South Sudan.

1998:
Christ Church celebrates its 225th anniversary with a Founding Day service presided over by the Rt. Rev. Peter Lee, Bishop of Virginia and other special events.

The church expands its physical campus by acquiring an adjacent building (the Fowler House/Ross building), which allows it to create a dedicated space for its choir, children’s programs, and ministry activities.

2001:
The Fowler House, a space for the church choir, children’s programs, and community outreach activities, is dedicated.

On September 11, terrorist attacks upon the United States are launched by the Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda in New York City and the Washington, D.C. areas.

2004:
On January 17, Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu ordains his daughter Mpho and three other new priests at Christ Church.

2008:
The Diocese of Virginia provides a Mustard Seed Grant to fund the launch of the Lazarus Ministry’s Client Choice Food Pantry, which provides emergency food, fresh meats, and produce to Alexandria residents.

On December 21, President George W. Bush, Laura Bush, and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings attend a Christ Church service.

2009:
Christ Church holds its first celebration of National Coming Out Day, a commemoration of the 1987 National March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights.

2011:
Christ Church holds its first celebration of International Women’s Day, which acknowledges the milestone made in women’s rights in all levels of society.

2012:
The Christ Church gift shop celebrates its 25th anniversary in its current location in Parish Hall.

2013:
On February 10, Christ Church celebrates its 240th anniversary.

The first Same-Gender Blessing is held at Christ Church.

2016:
The Rev. Noelle York-Simmons serves as the 28th Rector of Christ Church, the first woman to hold the position.

2017:
In the aftermath of violence during a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the Christ Church vestry votes to move the 1870 plaques in memory of George Washington and Robert E. Lee from the church to the foyer of the Christ Church Gift Shop.

2018:
The church converts a pew into a box-style pew with a hidden ramp to accommodate parishioners and guests with mobility challenges to sit alongside their companions and fellow congregants.

2020:
In March, upon the advice of the Center for Disease Control and the Diocese of Virginia, Christ Church closes during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Sunday services and other opportunities for worship and companionship are offered online and/or outdoors; ministry activities are offered remotely, and outreach ministries modify their approach in order to continue to serve the residents of Alexandria.

2021:
On May 23, upon new Covid-19 guidance from the Center for Disease Control and the Diocese of Virginia, Christ Church resumes holding in-person services inside the church.

The church installs a new Bromley Organ, made by Harrison & Harrison in Durham, England, which is played for the congregation for the first time at the Christmas Eve services.

2023:
Christ Church celebrates its 250th Anniversary with a year-long Guest Preacher series, an 250th Anniversary Gala, and performances of “Through a Glass Darkly to Our Own Time”, which explores the central role of the three church parishioners with during the years of Massive Resistance to public school desegregation.



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Here follows an excerpt of the history of Christ Church from the Mount Vernon Ladies Association website:

Located in Alexandria, Virginia, Christ Church opened its doors in 1773 to serve the Church of England's Fairfax Parish. George Washington helped fund the construction of the church, and his personal bible was presented to the parishioners of Christ Church in 1804, by George Washington Parke Custis.
Outgrowing more modest spaces, in November 1766, the Vestry of Fairfax Parish ordered a levy of 31,185 pounds of tobacco upon it parishioners in support of new structures at present day Falls Church, Virginia and in Alexandria. The vestrymen awarded James Parson the contract to oversee the construction of the Alexandria church, designed by James Wren, a descendent of Sir Christopher Wren of the famed St. Paul’s Cathedral. Parsons estimated the cost of completing the church at £600.1

After numerous delays, some the result of a decision to expand the building midway through construction, Christ Church was still incomplete in 1772. In May of that year, the vestrymen of Fairfax Parish called Parsons before them and asked if he believed construction could be completed by the end of the year. Parsons answered in the negative, and a new contract costing an additional £220 was eventually awarded to prominent Alexandrian John Carlyle.2

On February 27, 1773, the Vestry of Fairfax Parish took formal possession of the Christ Church. As was common practice, prominent members of the community “bought” pews in the church so that they could ensure their entire family had space to sit together, and as a way to defray the construction expenses. George Washington, a member of Fairfax Parish, supplied the greatest amount for his pew, £36 10s. While a vestrymen of neighboring Truro Parish closer to Mount Vernon, part of Washington’s property also lay within Fairfax Parish. This dual membership offered Washington access to, and the financial obligation of supporting, churches in both parishes.3

An English traveler witnessing the church in 1774 referred to it as “a pretty and large building.” The reverend Townsend Dade, however, was not popular with the congregation. In January 1775, Nicholas Cresswell, an English traveler residing in Alexandria, complained that Dade was “drunk and [couldn’t] perform the duties of his office.”4 On another occasion, Cresswell observed that Dade was “too lazy to preach.”5 The vestry was likewise frustrated with Dade, and terminated his ministry in June 1778.6

The church was observed to be a center of Whig activity during the Revolutionary War. Cresswell, a Tory, commented in November 1774 that he no longer wanted to attend, because the homilies consisted largely of “Political Sermons.”7 He later noted that the ministers were “mere retailers of politics, sowers of sedition and rebellion, serve to blow the cole of discord and excite the people to arms.”8 Reverend David Griffith, who became rector of the parish in 1780, was noted to be particularly fervent in support of the Revolution. Griffith was a veteran, who had served as both a surgeon and chaplain to the 3rd Virginia Regiment, prior to becoming the rector at Christ Church.

While most parishioners were Whigs, the church struggled to provide regular service during the conflict. Even after the start of the war, the Anglican Church remained the established church of Virginia, and all residents were taxed to fund the church. To gain support from dissenting Protestants, however, Virginia suspended the unpopular compulsory taxes during the conflict, eliminating the church’s primary source of income. Cresswell noted the effects of this change on October 20, 1776, saying “the Parsons are not willing to expound the Gospel to the people without being paid for it, and there is no provision made for the Episcopal Clergy by this new code of Laws.”9 Two weeks later, Cresswell again commented that no service was held.

In 1777, Thomas Jefferson drafted his Statute for Religious Freedom, and submitted it to the Virginia legislature in 1779. The proposed law would formally disestablish the Church of England in Virginia and guarantee freedom of religion to people of all religious faiths.11 Successful passage of the law would potentially cripple Christ Church financially on a permanent basis if it could not find a new source of support. Fortunately for the church, it took several years for the Virginia legislature to finalize the legislation.
As it became increasingly clear that the Statute of Religious Freedom would be enacted, the Fairfax vestrymen solicited support from their fellow parishioners. George Washington again provided financial assistance to Christ Church on April 25, 1785, pledging that “the pews we now hold, in the Episcopal Church at Alexandria, shall be for ever, charged with an Annual Rent of five pounds Virginia Money each … for the Purpose of supporting the Ministry in the said Church.”12

In 1799, the rector of Christ Church, Thomas Davis, was one of four ministers to speak at the funeral of George Washington.