St. John's Church, Richmond

This white frame Episcopal church atop Church Hill is the oldest in Richmond, its original section dating to 1741. It is best known as the setting of the Second Virginia Convention in March 1775, where Patrick Henry is said to have delivered his rousing appeal ending with the words give me liberty or give me death. The speech, reenacted for visitors in summer, helped propel the colony toward revolution. Surrounded by a historic cemetery holding early Virginians, the simple wooden sanctuary preserves the atmosphere of colonial worship.