With gravestones dating to 1704, the cemetery at St. Paul's Church National Historic Site is one of the oldest, continuously used burial yards in the nation.

Initially opened as an outreach chapel of Trinity Church to better serve its expanding congregation. A decade later, the Great Fire of 1776 destroyed the first Trinity Church, but St. Paul&rsquo;s survived, thanks to a bucket brigade dousing the building with water.Until the second Trinity Church was rebuilt in 1790, many, including George Washington, made St. Paul&rsquo;s their church home. Over the next two centuries, the ministries of St. Paul&rsquo;s expanded along with the city. Community outreach was a primary focus, with services to accommodate the needs of immigrants, working women, and the homeless.

Rather than restore the landscapes to a specific period in time, the church leadership agreed that these sacred spaces must reflect the evolution of time and its significance to the community. The designs restore unobstructed views of the gravestones while protecting the base of mature trees from foot traffic. Low-scale circular beds around major trees form subtle landscape accents within the lines of gravestones. Additional improvements include soil amendments and new turf, replacement of damaged brownstone pavement, installation of bluestone check dams and runnels to solve erosion and compaction problems, and the removal of post-9/11 signage remnants. Extensive landscaping, steeple repair, the installation of air conditioning, and the installation of a production room to facilitate webcasting.

Saint Paul's Chapel is the oldest church in Manhattan and is thought to be the oldest building in Manhattan. It is also the tallest public building in continuous use and the only remaining colonial church. Inside can be found the first rendition in oil paint of the Great Seal of the United States. It is one of the nation's finest examples of Late Georgian church architecture. Its worshippers included George Washington.

At the fa&amp;ccedil;ade, rusticated blocks of Manhattan schist and smooth sandstone accents were restored, repaired, or patched.&amp;nbsp;  

On the Broadway side of the chapel's exterior is an oak statue of the church's namesake,&amp;nbsp;Saint Paul, carved by an unknown sculptor and installed in 1790.  

Because the monument honoring General Montgomery created a shadowy outline in the altar window as seen from the nave, a design for the interior of the window was made by Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the French architect who created the master plan for the city of Washington, DC. The design, executed by a woodcarver, represents God’s glory on Mount Sinai and the giving of the Ten Commandments to the Israelites, from Exodus 24.

The origins of the St. Paul's cemetery were determined by the background and customs of the residents of the Town of Eastchester, which was founded by English settlers in the 1660's. Burials began around 1700 in the northwestern corner of the site, shortly after the completion of the town's first church, following the English tradition of the churchyard as burial ground. Before that, interment had usually occurred on family property. In a small, locally oriented town, grave markers were simple fieldstone, drawn from the fields of Westchester County. The population was small enough that initials were sufficient to identify the deceased and greater emphasis was given to recording the date of death, at a time when there were no death certificates. To chisel the simple inscriptions, the family hired the local blacksmith, who was skilled in the use of hand tools, but certainly not a professional carver, which was an additional reason for the minimal characters on a stone. Markers were austere and lacked imagery, because Eastchester's residents, raised in the Puritan tradition, feared that spiritual depictions would lead to idolatry, the worship of physical objects as gods.

The earliest symbolism on gravestones at St. Paul's dates to the 1750's and takes two general forms. One is the heart, generally understood to have symbolized God's love, and the other is a star-like design or pinwheel, which probably represented heaven, or all things under heaven. These emblems were the first steps away from Puritan beliefs that prohibited any form of religious iconography.Both of these designs also appeared on 18th century furniture, clothing and everyday objects such as footwarmers, where they had an artistic as well as a symbolic function. The stones on which these designs appeared usually consisted of low-grade marble, worked into tripartite shapes. The designs appeared either in tympanum -- the arched middle section -- or on the side finials.

"As a feeble tribute to the value of all that could be lost in the Wife, the Mother, and the Friend. This stone is reared in memory of Elizabeth the spouse of Samuel L. Borrowe, who departed this sorrowing Life in the comfortable hope of a better on the 29th September 1812 aged 36 years.Restored 1930"

 "Opened in 1766, St. Paul's Chapel in Manhattan's oldest public building in continuous use - a place where George Washington worshiped and 9/11 recovery workers received round the clock care. Part of the Episcopal Parish of Trinity Church, St. Paul's is a center for worship and the arts, a community of reconciliation, and a place of pilgrimage for all people."   CultureNOW

St. Paul's Chapel&nbsp;has been designated a Registered National Historic LandmarkUnder the provisions of the historic sites as of August 21, 1935. This site possesses exceptional value in commemorating and illustrating the history of the United States.&nbsp;US Department of the Interior National Park Service1962

Landmarks of New YorkSt. Paul's ChapelThis famous example of Georgian Architecture built 1764-1766, with spire and portico added 1794-1796, is the only church structure surviving the colonial era of New York City, the design by Thomas McBean closely followed that of St. Martin in the fields by James Gibbs, President Washington was a regular attendant following his inauguration in 1789 when New York was the National Capital.Places erected 1957 byThe New York Community Trust

Stephen Rochefontaine (February 20, 1755 &amp;ndash; January 30, 1814 ) was a French-born military engineer who served as such in the Continental Army, during the American Revolutionary War, and later as the very first Chief of Engineers of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He was born &amp;Eacute;tienne Nicolas Marie B&amp;eacute;chet, Sieur de Rochefontaine in Marny, France.  

St. Paul's Chapel

St. Paul's Chapel and Churchyard (Trinity)

Until the second Trinity Church was rebuilt in 1790, many, including George Washington, made St. Paul’s their church home.

St. Paul’s Chapel, suffered no physical damage in the attack, even though the exterior of St. Paul’s and its churchyard were covered in debris.

 On the seventh stop of the tour, Kaplan discusses the history and significance of St. Paul's Church, the oldest private building in NYC, from Benedict Arnold to 9/11. 