Old First Presbyterian Church (Wilmington, Delaware)
Old First Presbyterian Church of Wilmington | |
Old First Presbyterian Church of Wilmington, January 2010 | |
![]() Location within Delaware ![]() Location within the United States | |
| Location | West St. on Brandywine Park Dr., in the Wilmington, Delaware, neighborhood of Midtown Brandywine |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°45′03″N 75°32′51″W / 39.750772°N 75.547472°W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1740 |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000295[1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 13, 1972 |
Old First Presbyterian Church of Wilmington is a historic Presbyterian church located on West Street on Brandywine Park Drive in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware.
Built in 1740, the one-story brick structure measures 30 feet by 40 feet and has a gambrel roof. Originally located on the east side of Wilmington's Market Street between 9th and 10th Streets, the building was used during the American Revolution by British troops as a prison and hospital during the occupation of Wilmington after the Battle of Brandywine, September 12, 1777. It remained a house of worship until 1840.[2] A cemetery on the site was the final resting place of many noted Wilmingtonians which were reinterred to Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery[3] and Riverview Cemetery.[4]
It was moved to its present site in 1916. In order to move it, it was dismantled and rebuilt with its re-dedication in 1918. It was given to the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Delaware to maintain and restore. They currently [when?] use it as their headquarters and have it open to the public on 2nd Sundays, April–October, 2-4pm.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[1] The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America restored the interior to its original condition in 1981.
References
- 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ↑ Mrs. Charles Lee Reese, Jr. (n.d.). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Old First Presbyterian Church of Wilmington". Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2016. and Accompanying photo
- ↑ Scharf, John Thomas (1988). History of Delaware: 1609-1888. Philadelphia: L.J. Richards.
- ↑ Popek, Daniel M. (2015). They "...fought bravely, but were unfortunate:" The True Story of Rhode Island's "Black Regiment" and the Failure of Segregation in Rhode Island's Continental Line, 1777-1783. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-4969-0899-5. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
External links
Media related to Old First Presbyterian Church (Wilmington, Delaware) at Wikimedia Commons- The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America: THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (1740)
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. DE-202, "Old First Presbyterian Church, South Park Drive at West Street, moved from Tenth & Market, Wilmington, New Castle County, DE", 3 photos, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- Historic American Buildings Survey in Delaware
- History museums in Delaware
- Museums in Wilmington, Delaware
- Churches in Wilmington, Delaware
- Presbyterian churches in Delaware
- Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware
- Churches completed in 1740
- National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
- National Register of Historic Places in Wilmington, Delaware
- 18th-century Presbyterian church buildings in the United States
- Delaware Registered Historic Place stubs
- Southern United States museum stubs
- Delaware building and structure stubs
- Southern United States Presbyterian church stubs
- Delaware church stubs



