St. Augustine's Church

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In 1819, a mission was started near the old Grand Street Ferry by students of the General Theological Seminary. The mission grew soundly under the lay leadership of Colonel Marinus Willet, early leader in the American Revolution and lifelong friend of General Lafayette. The real organization of All Saints Church was accomplished on May 27, 1824, under the Reverend William A. Clark, who continued as Rector until 1837.

During this period the present church was built. The stone was quarried from Mount Pitt, a hill sixty feet high, on which were erected the earthworks which guarded Washington's retreat from Long Island. The church was consecrated by John Henry Hobart, third bishop of New York in 1828, although it was not finally completed until 1829.

In its early days, the church was attended by Edgar Allan Poe, who used to seek peace and quiet from his disturbed mind. Later, "Boss" Tweed, when a fugitive from justice, attended his mother's funeral here, hiding from the authorities in the slave gallery.

Saint Augustine's Chapel was started in 1869 under the guidance of Trinity Parish. Its home, on East Houston Street, was completed in 1877. "A church for the people," Saint Augustine's was, from the beginning, the church home of diverse peoples. The large number of central European names which are found in its records testifies to the breadth of its ministry. Gradually, however, the neighborhood changed from residential to business. After nearly seventy years of great activity and witness to the faith of Christ, Saint Augustine's was closed and the congregation merged with that of All Saints' in the winter of 1944-45.

Lower East Ride
updated 03/2013 by Alex Purdy