St. John's Church (Episcopal), East Grace & Broad Streets, Richmond, Independent City, Virginia

Significance: St. John's Church was the first church built in the city of Richmond. It was completed in 1741 as part of the Henrico Parish. Moreover, the graveyard is the site of the first public cemetery in Richmond. Many persons who made contributions to the history of Richmond and Virginia are buried here, such as: George Wythe, signer of the Declaration of Independence and teacher of law to Thomas Jefferson, Chief Justice John Marshall, and Henry Clay; John Page and James Wood, Governors of Virginia; Elizabeth Arnold Poe, mother of Edgar Allan Poe; and Dr. James McClurg, a Virginia delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.

In March 1775, over 100 leaders of the colony including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee and Peyton Randolph met in St. John's Church for the Second Virginia Convention. Patrick Henry's famous "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" speech was delivered on March 23rd, and the American Revolution began the following month when shots were fired at Lexington and Concord.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-12
Survey number: HABS VA-11-22
Building/structure dates: ca. 1741 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1830 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1905 Subsequent Work
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 66000920