Lost Between the Moon and Old City

After the business of Easter at Christ Church was over, I had Easter Monday off. It's very rare for me to have off on a weekday so I took time to lazily roam the streets of South Philly. 

I happened upon a used bookstore and went in to peruse the books in search of a rare gem. I overheard a family with an English accent talking about a book by Thomas Pynchon. When I heard the name Charles Mason, my ears perked up. It doesn't matter where I go- I may leave the burial ground, but it never leaves me. I decided to interrupt this family to brag that the man they spoke about is buried in the Christ Church Burial Ground. They asked which one and after I told them, they informed me that they had visited earlier in the week, and saw no gravestone for Mason. I smiled a Hop smile and went into the story. 

You see, Charles Mason, the famous Astronomer and Surveyor had returned quite ill to Philadelphia from England. Mason had little money and knowing he would die soon and not wanting to be a burden to his wife and eight kids, he reached out to Ben Franklin, his fellow science lover. Franklin received a letter from Mason requesting Franklin find him a proper burial. Franklin called upon Tench Coxe, the warden of Christ Church, and arranged to have Mason buried at the Burial Ground. On October 25, 1786, Mason passed away, and his funeral service was held at Christ Church, a fact we know because of our Burial Ground records. However, we don't have any clue where in the burial ground he is buried. He had no existing marker when Clark wrote the 1864 inscription book. We may never know whether he  had a stone or where Coxe had his remains buried. Mason may be the most famous person buried at our graveyard without a stone or marker of any kind. 

It boggles my mind that no one ever bothered to remember this man with any marker over the last 225 years and that most folks who visited over the years never knew his bones lie here.  Yet, there is a crater on the moon named after him. That's right, we actually have two men buried here with moon craters named for them (of course, the other being Franklin). Last year, I was approached by the Mason Dixon Society, who wanted to put a stone plaque in the Burial Ground to honor him in 2013, just in time for the 250th anniversary of the Mason Dixon Line.

A few months ago, I found in our archives, a piece of paper that allowed Mason's burial here. It states: 

"Permit his excellency, the President, to inter the body of Mr. Mason in Christ Church Burial Ground. Signed, Tench Coxe." 

Franklin was Governor of Pennsylvania and was referred to as "President". I was overjoyed finding this record.
To learn more about other famous "Names Without Stones", take my new tour on Fridays at 5:30 in May, $5 a person, at 5th and Arch Streets.

- Hop

Once Peyton's Place

Most people may not realize that the first man who was referred to as "The Father of our Country" was once buried in our sacred grounds. No, I'm not talking about George Washington, although he was a member of our church and one of his wife's granddaughters is buried in the church yard. I'm talking about Peyton Randolph. Yes, that Peyton Randolph, cousin of Thomas Jefferson and the first president of the United States before we were the United States.

Peyton Randolph was a Virginian lawyer who served many positions in his home state. His positions included VA Attorney General and Representative of Williamsburg in the House of Burgess. He was unanimously elected first president of the Continental Congress. Randolph held this title until October 23, 1775 when he died of a stroke in office. He was replaced by a man named John Handcock, who became famous for his large signature. 

Two days after his death, Peyton Randolph was buried at Christ Church Burial Ground. A funeral was held for him at Carpenter's Hall. The service was conducted by Reverend Jacob Duché, the Chaplin of Congress and Rector of Christ Church. Historically, Duché and Randolph are remembered for September 1, 1774, when President Randolph requested that Reverend Duché read a prayer before they began Congress. This famous first prayer in Congress is captured in the stained glass window that hangs above the entrance of the Christ Church Neighborhood House. 

Peyton Randolph was only buried in our graveyard for a year until his nephew, Edmund Randolph, removed his remains and had them reinterred in the family crypt in the Chapel of William and Mary in his native state of Virginia. 

Many believe believe this man may have gone on to become our nation's first official president, but he is now largely forgotten. Multiple places and towns are named for Randolph, including a street here in Philadelphia. Like so many of the named that are connected to our collective American past, his name is lost in the ages. But I, Hop, will not forget him or the fact that his remains were once in our care.

I have created a new tour called "Names Without Stones" presented Fridays at 5:30 in the month of May. Only $5 a person, these 30 minute tours tell the stories of many others who are buried in our grounds, such as Charles Mason and Ben Franklin Bache, who have no stones. I promise to give a voice to the voiceless. 

- Hop