{"nrhp_refnum":"70000871","name":"St. John's Church","other_names":["Elizabeth City Parish Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NW corner of W. Queen and Court Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hampton (Independent City)","county":"Hampton","state":"VA","lat":37.025951407000036,"lon":-76.34670865799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1970-02-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"St. John's Church, also called Elizabeth City Parish Church, is a brick colonial-era church at the northwest corner of West Queen Street and Court Street in Hampton, Virginia. The present building was completed circa 1728.","why_significant":"It is the fourth church building of an ancient parish said to be the oldest active Anglican parish in America. Its original brick walls are a classic example of early-eighteenth century Virginia brickwork, and it is one of six remaining colonial Virginia churches built in a Latin cross shape. Its English communion silver, dating from 1618-19, is said to have been in use longer than any other in America.","narrative":"Built around 1728 at the corner of West Queen and Court Streets in Hampton, St. John's Church is a brick house of worship laid out in the shape of a Latin cross, one of only six colonial churches in Virginia to survive in that form. It is the fourth church to serve Elizabeth City Parish, said to be the oldest active Anglican parish in America. The walls use Flemish bond with glazed headers above the water table and English bond below, with rubbed brick around the arched windows. War repeatedly damaged the building: British bombardment in 1775, ransacking in the War of 1812, and burning by Confederate forces in 1861. Only the walls remain from the original church, and the interior dates from after 1870, with fine stained glass. The church also holds communion silver from 1618-19 and a Breeches Bible dated 1599. A graveyard with stones from old local families surrounds it.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Colonial Virginia church built in a Latin cross plan, with Victorian interior appointments","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as good and altered, on its original site; in religious use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:56.871048-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/15/6811/41681115/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/70000871.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000871/8e6eba1c24-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000871/8e6eba1c24-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nondscript","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stjohnshampton01.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Nondscript</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stjohnshampton01.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"10001062","name":"Hampton Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/hampton-downtown-historic-district-10001062/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681115","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s_Episcopal_Church_(Hampton,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7588687"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/hampton/st-johns-church-70000871/"}