St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Norfolk

Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, a Georgian-style brick landmark dating to 1739, is the oldest building still standing in Norfolk and one of the few colonial-era structures to endure the city’s widespread destruction on New Year’s Day, 1776. Set within the original boundaries of the Elizabeth River Parish, founded in the 1630s, the site has been a place of worship since colonial times-long before Norfolk itself was officially chartered.

The current church, originally known as the Borough Church, served as the only house of worship in the growing town until 1773. Over the centuries, it housed various congregations-Anglican, Baptist, and ultimately Episcopal-before being reconsecrated as Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in 1832–1833 by Bishop Richard Channing Moore.

A highlight for many visitors is a relic from the Revolutionary War era: a cannonball, said to have been launched by Lord Dunmore’s British fleet, still lodged in the church’s southeastern wall. Lost beneath the ground for a time in the 19th century, it was later recovered and carefully set back into place, where it remains visible today. During World War II, Lord Mountbatten reportedly remarked, “damn near missed it”, when shown the cannonball.

The churchyard surrounding Saint Paul’s is its own attraction-an evocative garden of centuries-old tombstones stretching back to the 17th century. Beyond its architectural and military history, Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church has also marked significant moments in more recent times. Notably, General Douglas MacArthur’s funeral service was held here on April 11, 1964, drawing national attention and further cementing the church’s role in Norfolk’s civic life.