Timeline
1749-1800
The Virginia Assembly passes a law chartering a town on the site of Hunting Creek Warehouse (also called Belle Haven). It is named Alexandria in honor of the owner of much of the land, Scotsman John Alexander.
A Church of England chapel of ease, which is a place of worship for the convenience of parishioners distant from the main church, is located in the vicinity of Alexandria.
George Washington is appointed as a vestryman of Truro Parish of Fairfax County, Virginia, a Church of England parish responsible for maintaining and constructing church properties, electing ministers, and setting the annual parish levy to pay ministers’ salaries and provide for the parish poor and other individuals who cannot otherwise care for themselves
Truro Parish is subdivided to create Fairfax Parish, which includes Alexandria.
The Fairfax Parish vestry conducts a study of church properties under its jurisdiction, leading to a decision to replace the chapel of ease in Alexandria and an older church building in Falls Church, Virginia with new church buildings.
The first burial is documented in the present-day Christ Church churchyard, which at that time was a piece of land in the woods outside of Alexandria.
The Fairfax Parish vestry adopts plans from architect James Wren for the new churches in Alexandria and Falls Church, and enters into an agreement with James Parsons to construct the new church in Alexandria for £600, based on the drawings by Wren. Construction on the church begins. John Alexander sells the Parish one acre of land for one penny.
Parsons is unable to finish his charge and John Carlyle, an Alexander merchant and developer, wins a bid to complete the church's construction for £220.
On February 27, the church building is received as completed from John Carlyle. It is known as the "Church in the Woods" (since it is located in a grove of trees outside city limits), the Church at Alexandria, or the Church nigh Alexandria because of its location west of the Alexandria town boundary at the time.
The Fairfax Parish vestry sells ten box pews to the highest bidders to fund the £220 payment made to Carlyle, with George Washington purchasing pew #5 for 36 pounds, 10 shillings, the highest price paid.
Washington’s diary notes that he attended services at “Alexandria Church” on June 13, 1773, which probably is the first time he worshipped at the church.
The Battles of Lexington and Concord are fought in April, triggering the Revolutionary War (1775-1783).
On July 4, the Continental Congress officially approves the Declaration of Independence.
The Rev. Dr. David Griffith serves as Rector. Griffith was a chaplain in the 3rd Virginia Regiment during the Revolutionary War and was with Washington at Valley Forge. He is elected first Bishop of Virginia in 1786, but cannot raise the funds to travel to England for his consecration and relinquishes his appointment in 1789.
On September 3, the Treaty of Paris is signed, bringing the Revolutionary War to its conclusion
- The Virginia General Assembly passes the Virginia Statute for Establishing Religious Freedom, completing the separation of Church and State in Virginia, ending secular duties of the Church of England and completing the abolition of the system of tax support.
- The Fairfax Parish vestry begins to establish a system of pew rents as the church’s major source of funding, in place of the former system of tax support. George Washington is among the first to subscribe, agreeing to pay an annual rent of five pounds Virginia money for his pew
The second-floor galleries are constructed.
A series of General Conventions are held in Philadelphia to unify all former Church of England congregations in the United States into a single national church, The Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America. The Book of Common Prayer is revised, principally in removing the prayer for the English monarch. A constitution is adopted along with a set of canon laws.
The Rev. Bryan Fairfax serves as rector before travelling to England in 1793 to claim the title of Eighth Lord Fairfax. He is the first American to become a member of the British House of Lords.
On July 4, the first Presidential attendance at a Christ Church service occurs when President George Washington attends a service held as part of Alexandria festivities commemorating the Declaration of Independence.
On his last recorded visit to Alexandria, George Washington attends a service at Christ Church on November 17.
·George Washington dies at Mount Vernon on December 14. The Rev. Thomas Davis of the church speaks at community memorial services at Old Presbyterian Meeting House and at Washington’s funeral and interment at Mount Vernon on December 18.
1800-1850
One of George Washington’s Bibles is presented to the church by George Washington Parke Custis, Martha Washington’s grandson and Washington's adopted grandson. The Bible currently resides at Mount Vernon and is brought to Christ Church each year to use in the Presidents’ Day Service.
After the city of Alexandria bans burials within city limits due to health concerns, the church restricts burials in its churchyard to church members and contributors.
The church purchases land south of Alexandria off of Wilkes Street and establishes a church cemetery in what today is known as the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex.
The church vestry decrees that all burials in the churchyard will cease.
The Rev. William Lewis Gibson and approximately half of the church congregation depart and establish St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria.
Light-Horse Harry Lee moves his second wife Anne and three children, including three-year-old Robert E. Lee, to 611 Cameron Street, two doors down from the church. The Episcopalian family begins to regularly attend services at the church.
The Rev. William Meade serves as Rector. He energizes the church by increasing the participation of the congregation in his services and by teaching basic Christian doctrine to the children through Catechism. He becomes an influential leader in the Episcopal Church and is consecrated in 1829 as Assistant Bishop to the Rt. Rev. Richard Moore and then succeeds Moore as Bishop of Virginia in 1841.
Heating stoves and flues are installed at the rear of the church, and the transverse aisle is laid.
Bishop Thomas Claggett of Maryland consecrates the church, giving it the name Christ Church four decades after its completion.
British warships arrive off the shore of Alexandria after the burning of the nation’s Capitol during the War of 1812. The British promise not to destroy the town if it surrenders all naval stores, shipping, and merchandise being exported. An appointed Alexandrian delegation of three that includes Christ Church vestryman Edmund Jennings Lee agrees, and the British depart with ships from Alexandria’s wharves and contents from its warehouses.
The first documented organ is installed in the Christ Church gallery, built by Jacob Hilbus and Henry Harrison of Washington, D.C. Since 1907, the Hilbus organ has been in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Christ Church begins to divide the box pews throughout the church into more modern single pews. George Washington’s box pew first is divided, and then eventually restored to its original box pew configuration.
After negotiations with the City of Alexandria, the Christ Church vestry abandons plans to raze and reconstruct the church building to accommodate the City's planned extension of Cameron Street that was platted directly though the building. The City instead decides to jog Cameron Street around the churchyard.
A cut-glass chandelier, now under the rear gallery, is purchased from England and hung from the middle of the church.
Construction on the Christ Church steeple is completed, and the bell is hung.
Captain James Croudhill presents a marble baptismal font to the church.
The first Sunday school is established in Christ Church. In the 1820s, the school enrolled 100-200 children taught by 12-15 teachers.
The iron fence, brick piers, and gate that still stand on Washington Street are erected
Robert E. Lee marries Mary Custis, a fellow Christ Church parishioner and Martha Washington’s great-granddaughter. The wedding is held at Mary’s home (now known as Arlington House in Arlington Cemetery) instead of Lee’s preferred venue, Christ Church.
The Hilbus organ is replaced by an instrument built by George Jardine of New York City.
1851-1900
Christ Church constructs a porch at the southwest entrance, installs gas for illumination purposes, installs a furnace, and raises the floor by six inches to accommodate the heating ducts.
Robert E. Lee is confirmed with daughters Mary and Annie at the chancel of Christ Church.
Christ Church begins to build the brick parish house on the southwest corner of the property.
Robert E. and Mary Custis Lee purchase a pew at Christ Church.
On April 12, the Civil War begins when the Confederates bombard Fort Sumter in South Carolina.
On April 17, a Virginia Convention votes 88-55 to secede from the Union.
On April 21, Robert E. Lee, having declined an offer to command the Union army, attends a Christ Church Sunday morning service. The next day, he travels to Richmond where he accepts a General’s commission in the newly-formed Confederate army.
On May 23, Virginia voters ratify the Virginia convention's vote for secession.
On May 24, Union troops cross the Potomac and occupy Alexandria for the remainder of the war.
Union chaplains and clergy move into the parsonage and conduct services at Christ Church throughout the war. The Christ Church congregation and vestry are dislocated.
On January 1, President Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring "that all persons held as slaves" within the Confederate states "are, and henceforward shall be free." The Proclamation does not end all slavery, but serves as a declaration of freedom that takes effect as the Union troops advance through the South.
On April 9, General Robert E. Lee surrenders the main Confederate army, the Army of Northern Virginia, to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia.
On April 14, President Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.
On December 6, the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude except as punishment for a crime, is ratified by the required number of states.
On June 2, Christ Church is returned to its parishioners, with its interior intact. The Rt. Rev. John Johns, Bishop of Virginia, negotiates a merger of its old and new parishioners.
Christ Church undertakes a Victorian redecoration of the church interior that vastly changes its appearance. The pulpit is replaced, the chancel is raised, carpeting is installed, the 1817 chandelier is removed, gas lighting fixtures are installed, and all wood trim is painted brown.
Christ Church establishes and builds Meade Chapel, a mission church in Alexandria that eventually became a predominantly African-American independent place of worship known today as Meade Memorial Episcopal Church.
The vestry approves a proposition of the ladies of the church to erect two memorial tablets in the Christ Church chapel in memory of George Washington and Robert E. Lee.
Christ Church establishes a “colored Sunday school”, which eventually grows to 50-90 students and moves to Meade Chapel.
Christ Church celebrates its centennial on November 20-21. Alexandrians and local clergy attend the November 20 community service during which the Rev. Randolph Harrison McKim delivers a sermon on the history of the parish.
An iron fence with brick piers is erected on Cameron and Columbus Streets, to match the earlier fence and gate on Washington Street.
Remains of 34 Confederate POWs who died in Federal prisons are removed from the Alexandria National Cemetery and re-interred in the Christ Church churchyard under the auspices of Southern Memorial Association.
Christ Church installs its third organ, which is produced by Hook and Hastings of Boston.
The interior of Christ Church is restored to its colonial appearance. A wine glass pulpit and sounding board are reinstalled, and the 1817 chandelier is returned, restored, and hung from the center of the ceiling.
A fee for tourist visitation to Christ Church is established to protect it from vandalism, and a turnstile is installed at the Columbus Street gate.
After Anthony Charles Cazenove leaves a legacy of $1,500 to Christ Church upon his death on the condition that his rented family pew be forever constituted a free pew for the use of strangers in memory of his father, William Gardner Cazenove, the church vestry declares the pew “to be always known and marked as the William G. Cazenove free pew for Strangers."
1901-1950
Shortly after President Theodore Roosevelt takes office, First Lady Edith Roosevelt and three of the Roosevelt children visit Christ Church to inspect the points of interest inside the church and on its grounds
The Mount Vernon Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) presents to Christ Church a plaque honoring George Washington's pallbearers, which is placed by the church door.
On February 22, President Taft attends a special service at Christ Church after a day of activities in Alexandria and Mount Vernon in celebration of George Washington’s birthday.
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austria-Hungarian Empire, triggers World War I in Europe
The United States enters World War I after President Woodrow Wilson addresses a joint session of Congress on April 2 with a request to declare war on Germany.
The system of pew rents is abolished in favor of voluntary pledging as way to finance Christ Church.
The Christ Church Parish Hall is used as a temporary hospital for Spanish flu victims
As Alexandrians celebrates World War I Welcome Home Week in June 1919, The Rev. William Jackson Morton holds a special service in Christ Church on June 8, and a week later 50 wounded servicemen are invited to the church for prayers, hymns, and dinner in the churchyard. On November 11, World War I officially ends with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
Two fir trees with bronze plaques are planted in the churchyard to memorialize two Christ Church parishioners who died while serving in World War I - Lieutenant George Moncrief Anderton and Sargent Major John Leadbeater.
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote, is ratified by the required number of states. The Amendment does not eliminate state laws, including those in Virginia, that prevent many Black American women from voting through poll taxes, literacy tests, and questions about the state constitution.
Christ Church's fourth organ, manufactured by Hillgreen Lane of Alliance, Ohio and given as a gift from the Carnegie Foundation, is installed on the first floor in the northeast corner of the church.
Electricity is installed in Christ Church. A Belgian crystal electric chandelier replaces gas lighting, and the 1817 chandelier formerly hung from the center of the church is relocated to the west end under the gallery.
President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace Coolidge attend Christ Church's George Washington birthday service.
The first vacation bible school is held at Christ Church.
On February 21, President Herbert Hoover, First Lady Lou Henry Hoover, and granddaughter Peggy Ann attend a Christ Church service in observance of George Washington’s 199th birthday.
Christ Church celebrates the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s birth with a year-long program of events.
On February 21, President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou Henry Hoover attend a Christ Church service in observance of George Washington’s 200th birthday.
Hitler’s invasion of Poland drives Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany, triggering World War II in Europe.
On December 7, Imperial Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, a U.S. Naval Base near Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians, and another 1,000 people were wounded.
On December 8, Congress approves President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s declaration of war on Japan. Three days later, Japan’s allies, Germany and Italy, declare war against the United States.
On January 1, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill worship at Christ Church on the National Day of Prayer.
On May 8, the Allies of World War II accept Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces, ending World War II in Europe.
On September 2, Imperial Japan surrenders to the Allied Powers, ending World War II in Japan.
On November 28, President Harry Truman and First Lady Bess Truman attend a Thanksgiving Day service at Christ Church.
Christ Church stops charging tourists an admission fee to the church, and removes the turnstile.
A second Parish House, Memorial Parish Hall, is constructed on the southeast corner of the property facing Washington Street.
1951-2000
On February 22, President Dwight Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower attend a service at Christ Church on George Washington’s birthday.
An air conditioning system and a sprinkler system for fire protection are installed at the church.
On November 22, President John F. Kennedy is assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas.
On February 21, President Lyndon Baines Johnson and First Lady Ladybird Johnson attend a Christ Church service in recognition of George Washington’s Birthday.
The first women, Marguerite Lamond and Edna Rublee, are elected to the Christ Church Vestry (Lamond pictured).
On April 4, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is fatally shot by James Earl Ray while standing on the balcony of a motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Following the news of King's murder, racial violence breaks out in cities nationwide.
On June 5, Senator Robert F. Kennedy is fatally shot by Sirhan Sirhan in Los Angeles, California after winning the state's Presidential Primary.
Christ Church is designated as a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of Interior’s National Parks Service.
Christ Church celebrates its Bicentennial on February 25 with The Great Bicentennial Service. The day begins with a street parade led by St. Andrew’s bagpipers, and the Rt. Rev. John E. Hines, the presiding Bishop of Virginia, preaches at the service. Special music for the service is composed by the Canon Precentor of the Washington Cathedral, and lessons are read from George Washington’s bible.
A new organ, made by Austin Organ Co. of Hartford, Connecticut, is installed in the church.
On February 23, President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford attend a Christ Church service in recognition of George Washington’s birthday.
On April 30, the Vietnam War ends when North Vietnamese troops enter Saigon, South Vietnam as the last Americans evacuate the city.
Christ Church celebrates America’s Bicentennial.
The Christ Church Foundation is incorporated. Begun with a 1918 bequest of $10,000 from Mary Custis Lee, last living child of Robert E. Lee, the Foundation was established to embody the continuing legacy of the faith and gifts of generations of parishioners.
The first female seminarian, Joan Smith, begins serving at Christ Church
On January 6, President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Roslyn Carter attend a Christ Church service.
On February 15, Vice President (and future President) George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush attend a Christ Church service in recognition of George Washington’s Birthday.
On February 21, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan attend a Christ Church service in recognition of George Washington’s birthday.
Christ Church establishes a ministry to Mengo Hospital in Uganda, which had just emerged from the chaos and violence of Idi Amin’s rule.
The two Parish Halls are remodeled and connected. A number of early graves are located and excavated, and the remains are reinterred in the churchyard.
A reorganized and expanded Christ Church Gift Shop opens. Gift Shop proceeds are returned to the community through the church’s outreach and mission programs.
The church launches the Lazarus Ministry to address the immediate needs of Alexandria residents in crisis situations.
The church establishes annual mission trips to Our Little Roses in Honduras, a home for girls who previously have been abandoned or abused and have lived in extreme poverty.
On November 13, the Vespry Society hosts a program and reception at Christ Church for civil rights activist Rosa Parks, who speaks on “The Future of America: Past, Present and Future” and signs copies of her new book, Rosa Parks: My Story.
Christ Church establishes a covenant relationship with persecuted Christians in the Diocese of Renk in South Sudan.
Christ Church celebrates its 225th anniversary with a Founding Day service presided over by the Rt. Rev. Peter Lee, Bishop of Virginia and other special events.
The church expands its physical campus by acquiring an adjacent building (the Fowler House/Ross building), which allows it to create a dedicated space for its choir, children’s programs, and ministry activities.
2001-present
The Fowler House, a space for the church choir, children’s programs, and community outreach activities, is dedicated.
On September 11, terrorist attacks upon the United States are launched by the Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda in New York City and the Washington, D.C. areas.
On January 17, Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu ordains his daughter Mpho and three other new priests at Christ Church.
The Diocese of Virginia provides a Mustard Seed Grant to fund the launch of the Lazarus Ministry’s Client Choice Food Pantry, which provides emergency food, fresh meats, and produce to Alexandria residents.
On December 21, President George W. Bush, Laura Bush, and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings attend a Christ Church service.
Christ Church holds its first celebration of National Coming Out Day, a commemoration of the 1987 National March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights.
Christ Church holds its first celebration of International Women’s Day, which acknowledges the milestone made in women’s rights in all levels of society.
The Christ Church gift shop celebrates its 25th anniversary in its current location in Parish Hall.
On February 10, Christ Church celebrates its 240th anniversary.
·The first Same-Gender Blessing is held at Christ Church.
The Rev. Noelle York-Simmons serves as the 28th Rector of Christ Church, the first woman to hold the position.
In the aftermath of violence during a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the Christ Church vestry votes to move the 1870 plaques in memory of George Washington and Robert E. Lee from the church to the foyer of the Christ Church Gift Shop.
The church converts a pew into a box-style pew with a hidden ramp to accommodate parishioners and guests with mobility challenges to sit alongside their companions and fellow congregants.
In March, upon the advice of the Center for Disease Control and the Diocese of Virginia, Christ Church closes during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Sunday services and other opportunities for worship and companionship are offered online and/or outdoors; ministry activities are offered remotely, and outreach ministries modify their approach in order to continue to serve the residents of Alexandria.
On May 23, upon new Covid-19 guidance from the Center for Disease Control and the Diocese of Virginia, Christ Church resumes holding in-person services inside the church.
The church installs a new Bromley Organ, made by Harrison & Harrison in Durham, England, which is played for the congregation for the first time at the Christmas Eve services.