Holy Trinity Church, also known as Old Swedes, is a historic church at East 7th and Church Street in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

. It was consecrated on

Trinity Sunday Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christianity, Western Christian liturgical year, liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the ...

, June 4, 1699, by a predominantly Swedish congregation formerly of the colony of

New Sweden New Sweden ( sv, Nya Sverige) was a Swedish colony along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now the United States from 1638 to 1655, established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a great military power. New Sweden form ...

. The church, designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1961, is among the few surviving public buildings that reflect the Swedish colonial effort. The church is considered part of

First State National Historical Park First State National Historical Park is a National Park Service unit which lies primarily in the state of Delaware but which extends partly into Pennsylvania in Chadds Ford. Initially created as First State National Monument by President Barack O ...

. The church, which is often visited by tourists, remains open for tours and religious activities.

History

The church was built in 1698–99 in territory that had been the colony of New Sweden until 1655. The building materials were local blue granite and Swedish bricks that had been used as ship's

ballast Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship, ...

. The church is situated on the site of the

Fort Christina Fort Christina (also called Fort Altena) was the first Swedish settlement in North America and the principal settlement of the New Sweden colony. Built in 1638 and named after Queen Christina of Sweden, it was located approximately 1 mi (1.6 ...

's burial ground, which dates to 1638. The church claims to be "the nation's oldest church building still used for worship as originally built". There are reportedly over 15,000 burials in the churchyard.

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

church services were held in the

Swedish language Swedish ( ) is a North Germanic language spoken predominantly in Sweden and in parts of Finland. It has at least 10 million native speakers, the fourth most spoken Germanic language and the first among any other of its type in the Nordic countr ...

well into the 18th century.

John Hansson Steelman John Hansson Steelman, also known as "Hance" Stillman, Stelman, Tilghman, or Tillmann (1655–1749), was born Johan Hansson in Aronameck or Grays Ferry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the eldest son of Hans Månsson (1612-1691) and Ella Olofsdotter ...

provided significant donations which enabled the construction of the church, including £320 for the purchase of land for the church at Fort Christina and for the building of the church, £220 by loans and £100 by gift He received in return the promise that he and his wife would be buried within the church, which was not done, as they moved to Pennsylvania in the 1730s.Peter Stebbins Craig, "The John Hans Steelman House At Elkton, MD Falling To Ruins," ''Swedish Colonial News,'' Volume 1, Number 10. Fall 1994
/ref> In 1697, the

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...

renewed its commitment to Swedish settlers in the

Delaware Valley The Delaware Valley is a metropolitan region on the East Coast of the United States that comprises and surrounds Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the nation and 68th largest city in the world as of 2020. The toponym Delaware Val ...

and sent three missionaries, Jonas Auren, Eric Bjork, and

Andreas Rudman Andreas Rudman (November 3, 1668 – September 17, 1708) was a pioneer Swedish-American Lutheran minister. He was pastor of Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church in Philadelphia. Background Anders Rudman was born in Gävle, Gästrikland Province, Sweden ...

, to the area. A total of three churches with similar architecture were built or established by Swedish communities in the area about the same time. All are generally known as "Old Swedes" and later joined the Episcopal Church.

Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church Gloria Dei Church, known locally as Old Swedes, is a historic church located in the Southwark neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 929 South Water Street, bounded by Christian Street on the north, South Christopher Columbus Boulevard ( ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

was founded in 1677 and the building was completed in 1700. Trinity Church in

Swedesboro, New Jersey Swedesboro is a borough in Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the borough's population was 2,584,St. Mary Anne's Episcopal Church St. Mary Anne's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church building located at 315 South Main Street in North East, Cecil County, Maryland. Built in 1742 of red brick in a rectangular shape to replace an earlier wooden church building on th ...

North East, Maryland North East is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, Cecil County, Maryland, United States. It is located between Philadelphia and Baltimore. The population was 3,572 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The Turkey Point Light, Turkey Point L ...

;

Old St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal Church church located in Douglassville, Pennsylvania. The church is a part of the Diocese of Bethlehem. History St. Gabriel's was founded in 1720 as a Swedish Lutheran church. In 1760 t ...

Douglassville, Pennsylvania Douglassville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Amity Township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. Douglassville is situated along U.S. Route 422 and Pennsylvania Route 724. Developments include the Amity Gardens subdivision, the W ...

; St. George's Episcopal in

Churchtown, New Jersey Churchtown, historically known as Penns Neck, is an unincorporated community located north of Pennsville in Pennsville Township, Salem County, New Jersey. St. George's Episcopal Church was started here in 1714 by Swedish and Finnish settlers a ...

; St. James Kingsessing in Philadelphia; and Christ Church (Old Swedes) in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania. Holy Trinity in Wilmington has housed an Episcopal parish since 1791 and is now part of the

Episcopal Diocese of Delaware The Episcopal Church in Delaware, formerly known as the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware, is one of 108 dioceses making up the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It consists of 33 congregations or parishes in an area the same as the U. ...

. An earlier church in New Sweden was built in Swanwyck, near New Castle about 1662, which was replaced by a combined church and fort at Crane Hook in 1667. In 1958, the historic

Hendrickson House Hendrickson House is one of the oldest houses in the U.S. state of Delaware and one of the oldest surviving Swedish-American homes in the United States. The house was originally built in the early 18th century in Chester, Pennsylvania as the home ...

was moved to the grounds of the church. The church building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961.Richard Greenwood (July 22, 1975) , National Park Service and ''Accompanying 6 photos, exterior and interior, from 1967 and undated'' Trinity Parish operates two church buildings in Wilmington, both listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

: the main building on North Adams,The Episcopal Church in Delaware , Trinity Parish Delaware
/ref> and Old Swedes at East 7th and Church Streets.

Burials in churchyard

Notable burials include: * Alexis Irenee du Pont Bayard (1918–1985), lieutenant governor of Delaware *Elizabeth Bradford du Pont Bayard (1880–1975) * James A. Bayard (1799–1880), U.S. Senator * Richard Bayard (1796–1868), first mayor of Wilmington, U.S. Senator *

Thomas F. Bayard Thomas Francis Bayard (October 29, 1828 – September 28, 1898) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat from Wilmington, Delaware. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, he served three terms as United States Senate, United States ...

, Sr. (1828–1898), secretary of state under President Cleveland * Thomas F. Bayard, Jr. (1868–1942), U.S. Senator *Dr. Joseph Capelle, a Revolutionary War veteran *Catharina and Britta Cock (d. 1726) *Major Peter Jaquett, a Revolutionary War veteran *The Right Reverend Alfred Lee, first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware * Ignatius Grubb (1841–1927), justice of the Delaware State Supreme Court. *Captain Hugh Montgomery, captain of the brig ''Nancy'', raised the first

American flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...

in a foreign port *Elizabeth Montgomery, daughter of Captain Hugh Montgomery *Hans Jurgen Smidt (1696-1753) and Mary Stalcop (1696-1750), ancestors of

Devil Anse Hatfield William Anderson Hatfield (September 9, 1839 – January 6, 1921), better known as Devil Anse , was the patriarch of the Hatfield clan during the infamous Hatfield–McCoy feud which has since formed part of American folklore. Anse survived t ...

of the Hatfield-McCoy feud. *Carl Christopher Springer, first warden *William Vandever (d. 1718), grave marked with the oldest legible stone * Samuel White (1770–1809), U.S. Senator *

James Harrison Wilson James Harrison Wilson (September 2, 1837 – February 23, 1925) was a United States Army topographic engineer and a Union Army Major General in the American Civil War. He served as an aide to Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan during the Maryland Cam ...

(1837–1925) Union general in the Civil War Old Swedes Church engraving by John Sartain.jpg, "Swede's Church" by

John Sartain John Sartain (October 24, 1808 – October 25, 1897) was an English-born American artist who pioneered mezzotint engraving in the United States. Biography John Sartain was born in London, England. He learned line engraving, and produced several o ...

(1845) InteriorOldSwedesHabs.jpg, Interior of Old Swedes Church. From the Historic American Buildings Survey, Edward M. Rosenfeld, Photographer, April 20, 1934 Iron Letters Old Swedes.JPG, Iron letters on the east wall of the church dating from 1698, spelling in Latin "LUX-L.I. TENEBR ORIENS- EX ALTO" which translates to "Light from on high shines in the darkness"

References

External links

Old Swedes Foundation websiteTrinity Parish website History of Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church 1697-1773 Historic Churches of American
by Nellie Urner Wallington, 1907. * {{authority control Historic American Buildings Survey in Delaware Episcopal church buildings in Delaware Churches in Wilmington, Delaware National Historic Landmarks in Delaware Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware 1699 establishments in Delaware 17th-century Episcopal church buildings Museums in Wilmington, Delaware History museums in Delaware National Register of Historic Places in Wilmington, Delaware Churches completed in 1699 First State National Historical Park Swedish-American history Swedish-American culture in Delaware New Sweden Churches in New Sweden

History

Burials in churchyard

See also

References

External links