St. Peter’s opened for services in 1761 and was united with Christ Church until 1832. William White, rector of both churches from 1779 until his death in 1836, was chaplain to the U.S. Congress during the American Revolution, founder of the Episcopal Church in 1784, early presiding bishop and first bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania.
Most of the church remains as it was in the eighteenth century. Scottish architect/builder William Smith designed it in the mid-Georgian auditory style, with the classical lines and clear glass windows of the Age of Enlightenment. The raised pulpit and lectern are set at the opposite end of the aisle from the altar, projecting into the congregation, in order to focus attention on the Word of God, a reflection of the religious thought of the day. The tower and steeple, designed by renowned Philadelphia architect William Strickland, was added in 1842 to house a chime of eight bells donated by Benjamin Chew Willcocks and cast at the Whitechapel Foundry in London, where the Liberty Bell was made.
St. Peter’s has ministered to its changing community for more than 250 years, through the American Revolution, the arrival of many groups of immigrants, urban decline and rebirth, and is committed to continuing its original mission of service and sanctuary for all in need.
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