king’s chapel & king’s chapel burying ground

Founded in 1686 as Boston’s first Anglican church, King’s Chapel is home to over 330 years of history. The 1754 granite building still stands on the church’s original site: the corner of Boston’s oldest English burying ground. 

King’s Chapel

Established in 1686, King’s Chapel became the first Anglican Church in New England and the official church of Loyalist Boston. The present building was constructed in 1749, and with over 31,000 sermons, the church currently houses the oldest pulpit still in use in the United States. In 1785, the church became the first Unitarian Church in America. Ben Franklin, George Washington, John Hancock, Louisa May Alcott, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Paul Revere are just a small sample of the famous patrons who have graced the church. The present congregation of 450 members continues to use the same Order of Service and Book of Common Prayer since 1785.

King’s Chapel burying ground

King’s Chapel Burying Ground, located behind the church, and accessed through an entrance on Tremont Street, is the oldest burying ground in Boston proper. It pre-dates King’s Chapel and, despite its name, is not affiliated with the church. The original church was built on public land appropriated by the royal governor at one end of the already existing Puritan burying place. The burying ground is still property of the City of Boston.

King’s Chapel Burying Ground is the final resting place of many early colonists including John Winthrop (1588-1649), first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony; Mary Chilton (1607-1679), the first woman to step off the Mayflower; William Dawes (1745-1799), patriot dispatched to ride to Lexington and Concord, along with fellow patriot, Paul Revere.