Editing Christ Church (section)

== History ==

=== Colonial Founding ===

Christ Church was founded in '''1695''' by members of the Church of England living in William Penn's Quaker colony. The congregation first worshipped in a small wooden structure before constructing the current brick building.

Construction of the present church began in '''1727''' and was completed in '''1744'''. The church was designed in the Georgian style, influenced by the work of Sir Christopher Wren's London churches. The design is attributed to Dr. John Kearsley, a church vestryman and amateur architect.

=== The Steeple ===

The 196-foot steeple was added in '''1754''', funded in part by a lottery organized by Benjamin Franklin. For 56 years, the steeple was the tallest structure in the American colonies and later the United States, until it was surpassed by New York's Trinity Church in 1810.

The steeple's bell, cast in 1754 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry (the same foundry that cast the Liberty Bell), continues to ring for services and special occasions.

=== Revolutionary Era ===

During the Revolutionary period, Christ Church was the spiritual home of many Founding Fathers:

{| class="wikitable"
! Name !! Role !! Pew/Association
|-
| George Washington || Commander-in-Chief, President || Pew #58
|-
| Benjamin Franklin || Founding Father, Diplomat || Pew #70
|-
| John Adams || Delegate, President || Attended during Continental Congress
|-
| Betsy Ross || Seamstress, Flagmaker || Pew #12
|-
| Robert Morris || Financier of the Revolution || Vestryman
|-
| Francis Hopkinson || Signer of Declaration || Parishioner
|}

Seven signers of the Declaration of Independence worshipped at Christ Church.

=== Post-Revolution ===

After the Revolution, the church adapted to the new nation. The Book of Common Prayer was revised to remove references to the British monarch, and Christ Church became part of the newly organized Episcopal Church USA.