Two items one additive to the Wren Chapel History and another more of a quest 
of history relating to the Wren Building:

First the quest:

In my research on the Battle of Williamsburg (personal project in its 10th 
year..) I have long had an endeavor on my "too be done list" that relates to the 
history of the Wren building.  

Apparently there were a couple of cannon captured from the British at 
Yorktown during the Revolutionary War that had resided in front of the College 
Building (Wren Building if you like marketing, PR and unsubstantiated revisionist 
history) until 1862 (so 81 years).  The cannon are actually in one of Sneden's 
sketches following the Battle of Williamsburg.  The cannon were claimed as 
plunder by either the 1st or 11th Massachusetts and presented to the Town of 
Roxbury, Massachusetts (south Boston).  As cannon usually stick around I think it 
would be a great thing to find them again.....another worthy endeavor would be 
to try and track down items looted from the Chapel crypts during the civil 
war.  

The second item is another critical piece of information I found on the 
Chapel and its actually historical use and another example of the way its use 
ebbed, flowed and evolved.   It appears the Chapel had considerable gaps in which 
it was not actively used for regular or any Christian services (or even 
commencement).  The chapel was used from 1732-1780 and then again from 1830 until 
1859.  However in the period of 1780 - 1830 it appears to not have been used and 
even fell into disrepair.  Remarkably the College is described by a visitor in 
1786, dare I say, as a secular institution (if you question my 
characterization, see the visitors disbelief in his observed lack of religious (prayer)  
involvement/integration).  So again, actual history paints a rather mixed and 
variable picture of the use of the Chapel.

Source:

Title: Burial Vaults Under the Chapel at the Wren Building the College of 
William and Mary Architectural Report Block 16 Building 3
Author: Paul Buchanan
Author: Catherine Savedge Schlesinger
Publisher: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Location: Williamsburg, VA
Date: 1990 :

Until the reorganization of the College in 1779-1780, Chapel services were 
held twice daily as noted before;225 and in 1774 Mr. Edward Digges was appointed 
"keeper of the Chapel."226 In May, 1777, when Ebenezer Hazard visited 
Williamsburg, he wrote of the "small Chapel for the Use of the Students" at the 
"South End of the Parade [piazza]," noting that "Sir John Randolph, Lord 
Bottetourt, & Peyton Randolph Esqr late President of the Congress are buried here." He 
added, "at the North End is a Room allotted for a Divinity School, but there 
have been no Students in it for several Years."227 Apparently, after the 
reorganization, when the College was made a University, services in Chapel were 
discontinued. After a visit to Williamsburg, Jedediah Morse wrote Ezra Stiles of 
Yale in 1786: "There are about 30 Students belonging to William and Mary 
College, most of them Law Students. They have six Professorships. The Professors, 
successively lecture once a day - the Students attend or not as they please. When 
this Lecture is delivered the business of the day is done both for Professor 
and Student. They have no public Prayers Morning nor Evening no recitations, 
no public speaking... Such, however incredible, is the State of William & Mary 
College."228


-79-
The Chapel was doubtless repaired when necessary before the Revolution, 
although there are few details as to any work done there. In December, 1740, a Mr. 
Bowler was paid "for new covering the Chappel Forms" £5: 0: 0.229 We have 
already noted the references to work on the "pew in Colledge & Floor" and to 
bricks and lime and "building a Vault" in the Chapel in connection with Lord 
Botetourt's burial there in 1770; and to the Pulpit, the width of the aisle, the 
brick Pier 6 ½ feet wide, between two large windows, and the distance from the 
ceiling to the wainscot and the wainscot to the floor, in connection with a 
proposed monument to Lord Botetourt.230
It would seem that the Chapel was in such a bad state repair that 
Commencement exercises were being held at Bruton Parish Church by or before 1812.231 
President J. Augustine Smith noted that the Chapel was badly in need of repairs in 
his annual reports to the Visitors and Governors in 1817, 1818, and 1819.232 
It had evidently not been repaired by 1824, when a visitor from New England 
described its seats as "broken down, and the panels of the doors broken 
through."233 It probably remained in this state until circa 1830, when services were 
again ordered to be held - the visitors and Governors passing a resolution that 
"the Chapel be opened for religious exercises at such hour each day of the 
week as the Faculty may designate"; and the Faculty ordering that "Morning 
prayers will take place in the Chapel every day, immediately before- the first 
Lecture in the Morning."234 In the July, 1831, report of the Faculty, it was noted 
that the College carpenter had been "faithfully engaged at his duty," and 
that the Chapel had "been repaired painted & furnished with Benches." In this 
same report it was noted - "The opening of the Chapel ... has been attended with 
Much effect as might reasonably have been anticipated."235








In a message dated 2/26/2007 4:25:24 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
[log in to unmask] writes:
Vince Haley himself has historical information about Wren Chapel, not as 
detailed but probably as accurate and unbiased as that of Mr. McMahon's.  It 
also seems his words should be presented for members of this list to see and 
absorb as Mr. Hagen-Long has brought him to task in a personal and political 
manner, apparently towards elevating his own liberal viewpoints.  What of 
Mr. Haley's rationale and further concerns that recent actions will soon 
lead to additional related removals, such as the altar table, altar rails, 
the pulpit....and what about the alma mater if that can be made pertinent to 
this discussion?  ...and his other concerns that seem legitimate to 
me.....and no more antagonizing and uncompromising than what I have read by 
the predominance in this discussion having liberal views.

Give Mr. Haley half a chance here, please, or who is being so unreasonable 
and uncompromising:

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NTk3Njc2MWM5OWNjZmY3MmNjYzUzMGJiNjZlZWFiY
2E=

Regardless of what has happened over the years to the physical Wren Chapel, 
what is important are the heartfelt and mindful feelings of the place that 
were present at its beginning and that have since developed over 270+ years 
that makes its history so valued.

Thanks,
Neil McDonald

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