Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site, National Historic Site in Mount Vernon, New York, US
Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site is a National Historic Site and museum in Mount Vernon, New York, just north of New York City. The grounds include an 18th-century stone church with tall arched windows and plain walls, a large cemetery, and a carriage house converted into a visitor center.
The church was built between 1763 and 1805, and during the Revolutionary War it served as a field hospital for soldiers wounded at the Battle of Pell's Point in 1776. After falling into decline in the 20th century, it was added to the national park system in 1980 and opened to visitors in 1984.
The cemetery contains graves of people of African descent, and since 2004 the site has been part of the African American Heritage Trail of Westchester County. This recognition makes the contributions of Black community members visible and tangible to visitors walking among the stones.
The site is at 897 South Columbus Avenue in Mount Vernon and is free to visit, with no entry fee for the church, cemetery, or museum exhibits. The nearest subway station is about a 15-minute walk away, so daytime visits are recommended, and comfortable shoes are helpful for exploring the grounds and cemetery.
The church bell was cast in 1758 at the same London foundry that made the Liberty Bell. It is said to have been buried during the Revolution to protect it from British forces, and it still hangs in the bell tower today.
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