Religious Buildings in American History Quiz

Answer: Flushing Quaker Meeting House, Flushing, NY

The Quaker Flushing Meeting House was built in 1694 by John Bownes. It is a typical 17th century ecclesiastical structure of medieval design. The Quakers were persecuted by Governor Peter Stuyvesant and heads of the reformed Dutch Church, and Quakers were fined and/or banished.

The townspeople wrote the Flushing Remonstrance in 1657, one of the earliest demands for religious freedom in America. Holland replied to Governor Stuyvesant and established religious freedom in the colonies.

Answer: Old Ship Church, Hingham MA

Old Ship Church in Hingham MA is the oldest church structure in America and was built in 1681 in the Elizabethan Gothic Style. It was founded by the Puritans and was referred to as a meeting house as it was also used for public gatherings. It is speculated that the name Old Ship was inspired by the unusual roof structure that resembles a ship's hull, but the true reason for the name is unknown.

Answer: Touro Synagogue, Newport RI

Touro Synagogue in Newport, RI was built in 1763, but the congregation began with 15 Spanish Jewish families in 1658. It remains an active Jewish Orthodox synagogue today. From the 1850s it was only occasionally opened for worship until 1883 when the arrival of Eastern European Jews revived the Jewish Community in Newport.

There has been an ongoing legal dispute over artifacts of the congregation with Shearith Israel Congregation in New York, NY.

Answer: Washington National Cathedral, Washington, DC

This Episcopalian Church is officially known as the Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, but is commonly known as Washington National Cathedral. Originally planned as "a great church for National purposes" by Pierre L'Enfant in his 1792 "Plan of the Federal City", Washington National Cathedral is in the Neo-Gothic style. Construction began in 1907 and the final finial was completed 83 years to the day in 1990. Decorative construction is still ongoing and the cathedral is the location of presidential funerals and inauguration prayer services.

Answer: St. Louis Cathedral New Orleans, LA

St Louis Cathedral in NOLA is the oldest cathedral in the US. Three Roman Catholic churches have stood on the site since 1718 and it is one of the few churches to stand on a public square. St Louis Cathedral is said to be haunted by several figures from its history and is included on New Orleans haunted history tours.

Answer: Old North Church, Boston MA

The Old North Church was built in 1723 and is the oldest surviving church building in Boston. It is historically significant for many reasons, most famously for Paul Revere's midnight ride on the evening of April 18, 1775 when two lanterns were held as a sign that the British were coming across the Charles river by sea, and not by land.

This event signified the beginning of the Revolutionary War. The Old North Church has half a million visitors every year.

Answer: Cathedral Basilica, St Augustine FL

Cathedral Basilica in St Augustine FL was originally established in 1565. Several churches on the site were destroyed by fire over the centuries. The current structure was built in 1797 in a Spanish mission and neoclassical style, and was constructed of coquina, a locally quarried stone made of decomposed seashells because it was fire proof. St Augustine is the site of the first permanent Catholic parish in America and the growth of this church is considered an important part of Catholic history in the US.

Answer: Mother Bethel AME Church, Philadelphia PA

Mother Bethel AME Church is the oldest independent Protestant denomination founded by people of color. AME Church grew out of the Free African Society (FAS). Reverend Richard Allen successfully sued the PA courts in 1807 and 1815 for the right of his congregation to exist separate and independently of the white Methodist congregation due to discrimination.

Answer: Christ Church, Philadelphia PA

Christ Church in Philadelphia, Pa is know as the Nation's Church, having 15 signers of the Declaration of Independence among the congregation and is also the birthplace of the American Episcopal Church. Christ Church was founded in 1695 and the current structure is thought to be one of the finest example of Georgian architecture today.

Answer: St Patrick's Cathedral

St Patrick's Cathedral was built between 1858 and 1879. It was referred to as "Hughes' Folly" because Archbishop Hughes believed that the location (which was almost wilderness at the time) would one day be "the heart of the city" according to St Patrick's Cathedral website. St Patrick's can accommodate 3000 people and comprises an entire city block at Madison and 5th Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets.