Richmond's oldest church (1741) and site of Patrick Henry's 'Give me liberty, or give me death' speech — the colonial graveyard and empty sanctuary draw persistent reports of footsteps and a figure in colonial dress
2401 E Broad St, Richmond, VA 23223
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Guided tours are ticketed; the churchyard is free to visit during daylight hours. Check the Historic St. John's Church Foundation website for current admission.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved sidewalks around church; churchyard has uneven brick and grass paths
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1741 · Site of Patrick Henry's March 23, 1775 'Give me liberty, or give me death' speech · Oldest surviving church in Richmond · National Historic Landmark · Burial site of George Wythe, signer of the Declaration of Independence
St. John's Episcopal Church traces its origins to Henrico Parish, one of the earliest Anglican parishes in colonial Virginia. The present sanctuary was built in 1741 by Colonel Richard Randolph after the vestry accepted land from William Byrd II. Sitting atop Church Hill, it became Richmond's largest meeting space in the eighteenth century.
On March 23, 1775, delegates to the Second Virginia Convention gathered at St. John's — unable to fit in any smaller Richmond building — and heard Patrick Henry make the speech that committed Virginia to armed resistance against Britain. Henry rose from a marked pew to deliver an address that closed with: 'I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!' The pew from which he spoke is still identified inside the sanctuary, and summer Sunday reenactments recreate the convention's proceedings.
The churchyard surrounding the building holds an estimated several thousand interments dating from the 1740s onward, with many graves now unmarked. Among the documented burials are George Wythe — the first law professor in the United States and a signer of the Declaration of Independence — and a memorial to Elizabeth Arnold Poe, the actress mother of Edgar Allan Poe, whose exact grave location is unknown.
The church was designated a National Historic Landmark and is operated by the Historic St. John's Church Foundation, which maintains a visitor center and offers docent-led tours.
Sources
St. John's Church appears on Richmond ghost-tour itineraries run by Haunts of Richmond and others, where guides recount accounts of a tall shadowy figure in colonial dress seen near the pulpit. Tour tradition identifies this figure as Patrick Henry, drawing on the emotional weight of the 1775 speech. Encyclopedia Strange, a paranormal-documentation site, compiled witness accounts in 2024 describing the figure appearing and receding in the empty sanctuary, particularly after evening tours.
Additional reports gathered from visitors and tour operators describe phantom footsteps crossing the nave when no one else is present, disembodied voices in the unoccupied corners of the building, and cold spots concentrated near the older pews toward the front of the sanctuary. In the churchyard, some accounts describe a female presence among the older unmarked graves, said by lore to be a woman who died in childbirth — though no specific historical figure has been documented behind that account.
The church does not officially endorse paranormal narratives. The site's well-established place on Richmond ghost tours rests on its age, its documented history, and the accumulated lore of two centuries of use. Most paranormal claims trace to tour-operator and blogger sources rather than independent investigations.
Notable Entities
Docent-led tour of the 1741 sanctuary, the marked pew where Patrick Henry stood on March 23, 1775, and the surrounding churchyard with notable burials including George Wythe and a memorial to Elizabeth Arnold Poe.
Walk the colonial burial ground dating to the 1740s, which holds estimated thousands of interments. Free access during daylight hours.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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