Christ ChurchGeorgetown200 years

May 2018 Christ Church, Georgetown, Washington, DC

Bicentennial BulletinAnnouncements

Look for the new brochure on the history of Christ Church and its architecture this month.

T'is the Season for...Graduations, Confirmations

and Fathers' DayWhat to give? Christ Church has the perfect gifts—scarves, ties, decorative brass crosses, and recordings of the Choir of Christ Church. This commemorative memorabilia, commissioned by the Bicentennial Committee, may be purchased at the Parish Office, Mon–Fri, 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m.

Did You Know?

Both the altar and flower com-mittees were outgrowths of the Ladies Committee to improve the Chancel (now the Altar Guild) in the 1840’s.

As was generally the case in the 19th century, all the pews at Christ Church were rented with only one set aside for “strangers.” Rents provided most operating revenue for the church.

After 200 years strong, the original Christ Church cor-nerstone plaque commemo-rating the founding of Christ Church Georgetown in 1818 was removed this month for cleaning and restoration. It will be moved to an indoor location to better preserve it for the next few centuries, and replaced with a replica made of a similar but more durable stone. The original cornerstone is made of Aquia Creek Sand-stone. The stone came from a quarry about 40 miles south of Washington, in Stafford County, Virginia. Selected by George Washington for the construction of the new city’s government buildings, Aquia Creek Sandstone was the principal material used in such significant buildings as the White House and the early stages of the U.S. Cap-itol. The stone’s availability and ease of carving were offset in time by its suscepti-bility to weather-induced de-terioration, as can be seen in our original stone, which had deteriorated to the point of the wording being no lon-ger visible. Portions of the stone’s surface have simply sheared off. Aquia Creek Sandstone’s best, most en-during uses were as interior decorative elements.

Pillars of Christ ChurchWilliam, Walter and Darius Clagett grew to manhood between the Revolutionary and the Civil Wars. While most details of their biog-raphies have faded with time, we do know they were committed to Christ Church from its very beginning.

The Clagett brothers’ family was deeply root-ed in Southern Maryland, but early on devel-oped ties to Georgetown. Their grandfather, John Clagett, was one of the seven com-missioners who surveyed and condemned land for the incorporation of Georgetown in 1751–52. The brothers’ childhood years were spent on “Clagett’s Purchase,” the site of much of present-day Bethesda. Walter Clag-ett Sr. moved his young family to Georgetown in 1796, and built a house on what is now M

The 1818 Cornerstone

K I D S ’ C O R N E R

Eyes on 200 Search and Find

street between 30th and 31st St., on the site of the pres-ent-day Sephora store. While Walter and his wife, Martha, were members of St. John’s Church, their sons (in their late twenties to ear-ly thirties) threw their lot in with the new Christ Church congregation. William Williams (1785–1825), the oldest, became one of the largest subscribers and a pew owner (although he declined to serve on the Vestry), and Walter Jr. (1787–?) was also a subscriber. The youngest, Darius (1792–1860), owned a pew.The three sons had varying professions and domiciles. William, who lived on O Street, worked as a clerk in the Auditor’s Office of the Department of the Treasury Department and as an auditor in the Navy Department, and supplemented his income with commercial activi-ties. Walter Jr. had a store on Pennsylvania Avenue be-tween 6th and 7th St., and probably left Georgetown early in his career. The youngest brother, Darius, was a successful dry goods merchant and real estate spec-ulator, acquiring for his family of 13 a house at 3001 M St., which still stands. Although a major Georgetown landholder, Darius moved his dry goods business to Pennsylvania and 9th, where it had the reputation as the

“first store” (in the sense of quality of goods) in Washington. Some of the Clagetts’ descendants were still active in Christ Church well into the mid- 20th century. While many details of the lives of William, Walter and Darius may be lost, their legacy lives on in the beauty of Christ Church and its 21st century family.

Original Christ Church, GeorgetownIn November 1817 the “evangelical” faction of St. John's, Georgetown—including such figures as Francis Scott Key—broke away, taking an Assistant from St. John’s, Reuel Keith, as their Rector, and established a second congregation in the Georgetown Parish. They bought the lot at the current location, and started to build a church. The cornerstone was laid in 1818, the building was com-pleted that year and consecrated as Christ Church, the fourth and then largest Episcopal church in the District of Columbia.

Look for our new brochure on the history of Christ Church and its architecture this month.

For more on the Clagetts and Christ Church, Georgetown's history, visit the parish website's Bicentennial page: www.christchurchgeorgetown.org/bicentennial.

1818 plans of the church, largely re-constructed from the old pew rental plan that is in the church archives.

Ready, set, go! Find the two cornerstones set into the outside of the church?Parental participation encouraged!

What is a Cornerstone? Circle true or false.1. Is a cornerstone the first stone placed in a building? True/False

2. Do we have more than one because our church was rebuilt? True/False

3. Is one of the cornerstones 200 years old? True/False

4. One of these cornerstones is actually a copy and the original is being cleaned and repaired. True/False