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St. John's Episcopal Church, founded 1769, is an interesting type of the Church of the revolutionalry period. The body of Thomas Hartley, Patriot, Soldier, Statesman, lies beneath its walls and a tablet to his memory was placed in the Church by the Yorktown Chapter of the D. A. R. The remains of Major John B. Clark, an officer of the Revolution, are interred in Churchyard. Other graves antedating 1800 are found there. Colonel Wilkinson challenged General Gates to a duel "behind the English Church." Washington once attempted to worship in this Church, but was turned away, owing to the absence of the celrgyman at Carlisle, his other charge. Whereupon, in his diary, Washington records he attended service in the German Church and heard an excellent sermon in English, but was in no danger of being converted, as he could not understand a word of it. The Rev. John Andrews, Rector at the time the Church was built, was subsequently an early Provost of the University of Pennsylvania. |
