Historic St. John's Church

St. John’s Historic Church in Richmond, Virginia, is famous for Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech. The Visitor Center is wonderful, and a kind, friendly staff member helped me purchase books and other materials about this important moment in history. I was also happy to learn that he was from Connecticut. The guided tour was very affordable and informative. The guide explained the difference between a cemetery and a grave site and pointed out that Edgar Allan Poe’s mother is buried there, sharing how she came to be laid to rest at the church. He also did an excellent job explaining the headstones surrounding the church. Inside, the church is beautiful, but standing in the vestibule where Patrick Henry delivered his speech was truly remarkable. It felt like living history. I highly recommend visiting this historic site.

We did a tour of the grounds and church and were pleasantly surprised with the amount of history contained in the tour and just generally on the grounds. Audio tour was decent, but the real life guide John was incredible. He had a great sense of what was important and where to add more detail based on our questions and interests. He did a small rendition of Patrick Henry's speech that was stellar. Delivered important political and social context for the situation surrounding the speech which was more detailed than expected but certainly appreciated. Great view from the top of Church Hill and generally an incredible piece of history to behold.

My daughter and I absolutely love old churches and St. John's did not disappoint! I had no idea the immense historical significance until we were walking around to find the entrance. The church yard has some very old and beautiful gravestones. There is a gift shop where you can purchase souvenirs and various tours. They have a "pop in" tour for just 5$ per person that allows you to see the inside of the church with a mini historical lesson. Our guide was Stephen and he was amazing. He has Patrick Henry's speech memorized and was very knowledgeable about the history of the church. There is beautiful stained glass and an incredible pipe organ. The pews were done in the historical box style which I had not seen in a functional church. The church still has weekly services with both organ and piano music. The bathrooms are located behind the church and were very clean.

My 9 year old daughter (visiting sites for her 4th grade Virginia studies project) and I visited on a Saturday morning. We bought tickets for a guided tour in advance online. Upon arrival we met with John in the visitors center who then walked us through the graveyard and church, delivering a full history on the founding of the city of Richmond, what was here before - Powhatan history, construction of the church, and the assembly where Patrick Henry delivered his famous Liberty or Death speech. John was an amazing tour guide, incredibly knowledgeable but also tailored the tour to my 9 year old and was very interactive asking her questions about what she’s learned in school. My daughter said this was her favorite site she’s visited and she came away so excited about everything she’s learned. We also made another stop at the visitors center and picked up some reasonably priced souvenirs.

The actors sat in the church pews alongside the visitors. We had the pleasure of sitting next to Benjamin Hamilton, who was quite animated even when it was not his turn to speak. This presentation really brought alive the history being told. We visitors were encouraged to yell out "hear, hear" or "yah" or "nay" at voting times or when someone spoke. It was a lot of fun. Although you cannot take pictures during the performance, the actors were available after the show to take pictures with us.

Fantastic, Historic place to visit. Great American history. Too bad they couldn't work on cleaning & preserving the headstones.

The reenactment is absolutely amazing!! All the actors had put so much passion and effort into their roles. From the moment it began, we were transported back to 1775. The staff were really knowledgeable and friendly. It was a wonderful experience to watch the reenactment and then walk around the historical building and graveyard on a beautiful fall afternoon.

Loved the experience and all the history. The guide is so sweet and so knowledgeable. Loved sitting in the pew thinking of all the lives that church had housed in its many years of existence....and for the famous speech as well! You must visit. The self guided graveyard tour is extra special too. Go and do the tour.