History of St. Paul's Chapel and Churchyard

In 1766, when St. Paul’s Chapel opened, the main entrance to the church faced west toward the large churchyard and the Hudson River beyond what is now One World Trade Center. Explore the peaceful churchyard virtually here and learn about some of the notable people buried at St. Paul's.

Notable Churchyard Burials and Monuments

• General Richard Montgomery, Revolutionary War hero buried beneath the east porch of St. Paul’s.

• Hon. Thomas Addis Emmet, Attorney General of New York State, 1812, and Irish patriot. The obelisk erected in his memory (he is buried in Ireland) on the south side of St. Paul’s bears the latitude and longitude of its location on the earth’s surface (40 degrees 42’ 40” 74 degrees 03’ 21”). Recent restoration, and a check of the monument’s location using GPS technology, has determined the original latitude/longtitude to be off by one minute.

• John Bailey, who forged the George Washington battle sword in Fishkill, NY, while the Continental Army was encamped there. The sword is preserved in the Smithsonian Institution.

• Dr. Philip Turner, Surgeon General during the Revolution. He later was in charge of the government hospital in New York.

• John Holt, patriotic printer and editor of The New York Gazette, New York’s first newspaper founded by William Bradford (who is buried in Trinity’s cemetery), and The New York Journal.

• Dr. William James MacNeven, Irish patriot who came to the United States in 1805. Known as the “Father of American Chemistry,” he is buried on the Riker Farm in the Astoria section of Queens, NY. His monument is located in the north churchyard.

• Major John Lucas and Major Job Sumner, two of the original members of the Society of the Cincinnati who served under General Washington. Both died of yellow fever in 1789.

• George Frederick Cooke, renowned British character actor. He played Richard III at the Park Lane Theatre to an audience of 2,000 on November 21, 1810.

• Lt. Col. Etienne Marie Bechet Sieur de Rochfontaine, who served under General Rochambeau and was one of the original members of the Society of the Cincinnati on General Washington’s staff. He later commanded Corps School of Artillerists and Engineers at West Point Academy.

• Dr. John Francis Vacher, one of the original Society of the Cincinnati members who served on General Washington’s staff.

• George Eacker, a New York lawyer, who mortally wounded Alexander Hamilton’s son Philip in duel.