Trinity Church, The Worship Place of The 400

In 1846, Richard Upjohn was commissioned to rebuild a large, gothic church at the intersection of Walls Street and Broadway in New York City. This church was known as Trinity Church. 

Trinity in 1946

The church was a hit with the prominent members of New York City society. An example of this, was that in 1877, more than 30 years later, an altar was erected in memory of William Backhouse Astor Sr. The Astors were upstarts at this time. It was only through the help of William's daughter-in-law, Caroline Webster Schermerhorn, whose mother was good friends with Daniel Webster's wife, that the family rose to the top of New York City aristocracy. 

Caroline, a deeply religious woman, was always an attendant of Trinity Church. Every Sunday she could be seen at the Astor pew, always alive in pearls, bursting out the hems. When Caroline died in 1908, a large cenotaph was erected by her daughter in honor of her. 

Caroline Astor Cenotaph 

After Caroline's demise, however, Trinity Church was slowly falling away from the hearts of New York City's prominent 400, though it always remained in the hearts of the Astors. Nevertheless however, many famous people have been scene worshipping there. Among them billionairess Doris Duke, sing/actor Frank Sinatra and President John F. Kennedy. 

Among the famous people buried in the cemetery are, besides Astor memorials, Clement C Moore: the man who wrote " Twas the night before Christmas", Booker T Washington III: grandson of Booker T Washington, John J Audubon: the famed artist, William A Darling: A Republican congressman representing NY and Fernando Wood: Democratic mayor of NY. The church itself continues to be New York City landmark and is visited by thousands of people every Sunday. 

 Photos Couresty of NYC Architecture

To Read More, Click HERE