The caption reads: "Built in 1710. Here Washington and three other presidents worshipped. The bell in the steeple, made in England in 1761, was the first in America to proclaim civil independence. The lecturn was presented by President Roosevelt, and the Bibles by King Edward VII, and President Wilson."]]> AV-2003-06-22-V]]>
Various 19th-century modifications are documented in this photograph. One of three chimneys along the roof ridge is visible on the right. Added in 1840, when the altar was moved to the west end and a new entrance cut into the east façade, the chimneys provided ventilation for three large stoves used to heat the interior. A clock face is mounted on the steeple and almost obscures the small window in the octagonal section of the tower. Shutters cover the round-headed windows. Ivy climbs the east wall and thickly curtains the brick.

Fortunately, the overall exterior appearance of the church remained intact into the twentieth-century. During his first period as rector of Bruton Parish Church from 1903-1907, Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin oversaw restoration of the interior to commemorate the Jamestown Tercentenary of 1907. Further restoration work, including removal of the unauthentic exterior window shutters, occurred in 1939.]]> Rights and reproductions]]> see also 1978-1443]]> See also N5159]]> see also 78-1268]]>