Presbyterian Legacy

The Old First Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware, was completed in 1740. A small graveyard stood to the south of the building. The building and property were sold in 1916. Four conditions for the sale were set forth: approval from the church trustees to move the church from its original site; assurance from a contractor, with experience in moving brick buildings, that the building could be moved; provision for perpetual maintenance of the church; and an agreement that the Board of Commissioners would provide a site suitable for the new location of the building. In an admirable effort to save the historic building, and the wonderful story of its history, members of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Delaware met all the conditions for the sale and the 30x40 building was moved brick by brick to its present location. The little graveyard adjacent to the building was included in the sale of the building and land. Plans were made for Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery to receive the remains. With great care, honor, and dignity, the remains were transferred to their new resting place and reinterred, for the most part, at Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery. The record of these early burials, and their relocation, are transcribed with a short history of Wilmington and some biographical cameos of the early Presbyterian congregants.