Mr. Moore asks some important and useful questions.  

We have been debating this issue largely in ignorance of the
actual history of the building, and especially of the chapel. 

When was it consecrated?  If before disestablishment, which is
certainly possible, then what were the consequences of
disestablishment (most of the property of the Church of
England was secularized as a consequence of successful
lawsuits by Baptists and Presbyterians in the late 1790s and
early 1800s)?

Was the Chapel an "occasional" chapel?  If the Chapel is
sacred space now, when was it last regularly used by an
Episcopalian priest?  Of which parish is it a part?

Does anyone here know the answers to these questions?  Without
knowing them, how are we to assess the historical significance
of the chapel?

All best,
Kevin

---- Original message ----
>Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 15:17:45 -0500
>From: "Donald W. Moore" <[log in to unmask]>  
>Subject: Re: Wren cross at W&M  
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>The Wren Chapel, not to mention the Wren Building, is
historical. Why  
>should we sacrifice our history for political correctness?
Why not  
>donate the Wren facility to Colonial Williamsburg and let it be  
>interpreted in historical context?
>
>___________________
>Donald W. Moore
>Virginia Beach, Virginia
>
>
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Kevin R. Hardwick, Ph.D.
Department of History
James Madison University

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