Christ Church Shrewsbury

The edifice of Christ Church Shrewsbury was erected in 1769, a time when political tensions were rising into what would become the Revolutionary War. The property was acquired in 1706 for five shillings. 

The church was designed by noted Colonial architect Robert Smith. It still has its original charter and builder’s agreement. One of its most important artifacts is its “Vinegar Bible.” The book, published in 1716, was named after a typo in the Parable of the Vineyard and one of only six still in existence.

Church lore says George Washington worshiped here while a general during the Revolutionary War, and soldiers used the sanctuary as a barracks. The stained glass windows are some of the oldest in the country, and the bell was cast in France in 1788.

The cemetery contains headstones dating from 1719. The congregation still uses its original chalice and plates, which were acquired in 1703. During the 18th century, before slavery was abolished in the state, some congregants were known to own enslaved people, several of whom were baptized in the church and buried in the graveyard.