One of the great charms of St. John’s is the spacious and well-landscaped grounds surrounding the church. Colonial churches normally featured a burying ground for faithful parishioners. At St. John’s, the original parish cemetery consisted of the two city lots surrounding the much smaller 1741 church. The oldest known burial is that of Robert Rose, a Rector of Albemarle Parish dated 1751. This marble tabletop style memorial is located on the east side of the building.
In 1799 the city purchased the two city lots directly north of the church in order to expand the cemetery. The city then enclosed the whole block with a low brick fence and opened it as a public cemetery. This was the only public cemetery in the city of Richmond until 1826. In 1889, the city lowered the grade of some streets surrounding the church by as much as six to eight feet. New brick walls were added and topped with iron railings.
Arthur Shurcliffe, an historic landscape architect from Boston, supervised the 1948 restoration of the churchyard. Large portions of the funds were donated by the Massie-Christian Trust Fund. The concrete walks were removed and replaced with brick. The front gate was moved to one side with the addition of 18th-century style brick gateposts.
One of the most prominent burials in the churchyard is that of George Wythe, the first Virginia signer of the Declaration of Independence. He is buried directly across from the original west door of the church. Wythe was the first professor of law in America and taught Thomas Jefferson, former Chief Justice John Marshall, of the U.S. Supreme Court, and many other prominent Virginians.
Near the front doors of the church are the graves of the rectors H. Thomas Pateman, Robert A. Goodwin and the missionary Bessie Simms, all prominent in the life of the church. The obelisk near the north entrance is dedicated to Alexander Watson Weddell, who was as instrumental in reviving church life from 1874-1883.
In the eastern section of the yard lies the grave of Elizabeth Arnold Poe. It remained unmarked for years, according to folklore, because she was an actress, a profession typically held in low esteem in the era. The marker was placed in 1927 by the combined efforts of the Raven Society of the University of Virginia and the Actor’s Equity Association of New York.
Directly beneath the plain glass window near the north corner of the eastern transept is the grave of Edward Carrington. It is said that he was so moved by Patrick Henry’s brave words, “Give me liberty or give me death”, that he told his wife he wanted to be buried on the very spot from which he heard those words uttered. Edward Carrington also served as foreman on the jury that tried Aaron Burr for treason in 1807.
Near Edward Carrington is the grave of Governor John Page. He was governor of Virginia from 1802-1805. He was so prominent at the time that he defeated James Monroe for the office. His descendants argue that the coat of arms now visible on the stone is not appropriate for John Page.
On the south side of the church is the memorial to Alexander Whittaker, first pastor of the parish in 1611. This memorial was originally intended to be a small chapel in Whittaker’s memory, but because of complications only the cornerstone, laid in 1907, was completed. Whittaker, who baptized and married Pocahontas to John Rolfe, accidentally drowned in the James River in 1617.
The churchyard holds over 1,300 burials. Much of the research on those resting here is incomplete. There is reason to believe that an infant son of James Monroe may lie here, but the exact spot has not been located.
The Brick Schoolhouse in the southwest corner of the churchyard was built in 1835.Vestry records contain references to its use as a Sunday School for African-American children in 1856. In the 1880’s the Good Shepherd Mission school for African-American children was relocated to the Brick Schoolhouse where it remained until it outgrew the building. This mission school served an important need in the community of Church Hill by providing one of the first schools for African-American children in Richmond.
The large white parish hall, built in 1876, was originally used as a small Sunday school building. In 1892 the small frame building was enlarged to its present size and began to be used as a parish hall. This building is now the center of church activities.
In the southeastern corner of the churchyard is the keeper’s cottage, now used as the office of the Executive Director. This Carpenter Gothic building was built in 1880 and was at one point used by the groundskeeper. It was moved to its present site in 1907. The lovely cathedral glass windows are original to the building, with the exception of the south window, which was replaced in the 1980s. The brick building nearest the keepers cottage was built in 1929-1930 to house the furnace and to serve as the church’s nursery.