Old Swedes Church in Wilmington

OldSwedes

While you're traveling this summer in your Fuel-Efficient Nissan Car with the family, why not make a stop at 606 Church Street in Wilmington. Here you'll find Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church. This church is a national historic landmark, and has been in service since 1689. Old Swedes Church is the oldest church building still standing in the nation, as it was originally built.

Old Swedes Church was originally founded as a Swedish Lutheran church. It was brought under the jurisdiction of the Protestant Episcopal church after the American Revolution, in 1791. Old Swedes Church was used by a number of immigrant communities, including:

• The Dutch from the New Amstel (now New Castle) Delaware area
• The Swedes from Fort Christina and the New Sweden Colony
• The English in New Castle county of the Pennsylvania colony, and
• Americans from many national origins all over the state of Delaware.
  

The interior of Old Swedes Church features a number of interesting artifacts, including:

• The black walnut pulpit, which is the oldest known pulpit in the United States.
• The pews, which were rebuilt in 1899 as reproductions of the very earliest pews in Old Swedes Church. They were built from descriptions contained in early records of the church. 
• The chandelier is an 18th-century candelabrum made of brass, and was originally installed in an abbey church in Ireleand. It was installed at Old Swedes in the 1960s. 
• The church chest, used to store important documents, cash and valuables, was built in 1713. The chest requires two different keys to open. The original key to the church is on display in a framed box.
• The Pipe organ, which has 16 stops and 16 ranks of pipes, has a total of 913 pipes.
• There are graves under the church walls, including several early pastors and several children.
  

The church cemetery is still in use today, and has sustained more than 15,000 burials.

If you're in the Wilmington area, be sure to check out Old Swedes Church. You can have a guided tour Wednesday through Saturday, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. If you're bringing a larger group, it is best to call the reservation line. Cost for the tour is just $2.00. If you bring a large group in a bus, the entire bus  can tour the church for $75.