Formed from several earlier parishes, St. John's is the oldest church in the city of Richmond, Virginia.

It was the site of two important conventions in the period leading to the American Revolutionary War, and is famous as the location where American Founding Father Patrick Henry gave his memorable speech at the Second Virginia Convention, closing with the often-quoted demand, "Give me liberty or give me death!"

Rolfe smuggled seeds of sweet Spanish tobacco into Virginia, where it rapidly replaced the much harsher local strains.

Also in 1619, Henricus became located in Henrico Cittie (sic), one of four large "incorporations" or "burroughs" formed by the Virginia Company of London in 1619.

This proved a severe disadvantage on Good Friday in 1622, when the entire development at Henricus and the church were destroyed in the Indian massacre of 1622, in which a third of all colonists in Virginia were killed.

Apparently taking no chances, the newer College was established at the fortified location of Middle Plantation in James City County, later renamed Williamsburg, to which the capital was later moved from Jamestown.

Byrd also donated timber used to build the church, and wood to fire the kiln for the bricks for the foundation.

The county offices were moved to a building still extant at present-day Twenty-second and Main Streets, where they operated until the 1970s.

In 1772, a forty-foot-square extension was added to the northern side, orienting the church towards the south, to which end the altar was moved.

Since the governor had loyalist forces in the vicinity of the capital of Williamsburg, it was decided to hold the next convention in Richmond.

The Reverend Miles Selden was the rector of St. John's church at the time, and when the Convention assembled, he was chosen as Chaplain.

Debate centered on the perceived need to raise a militia to resist encroachments on civil rights by the British Government under King George III.

The delegates acknowledged the debt to Patrick Henry, whose wisdom had already begun the arming of the colony, and he was named the first Governor of Virginia.

During the American Revolutionary War, in January 1781, General Benedict Arnold, the traitor who was then serving on the British side, quartered his troops in the church when Richmond was occupied.

[7][8][9][10][11] George Wythe, the first law professor in the United States, a delegate to the Continental Congress and signatory of the Declaration of Independence, is buried in the churchyard.