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In 1696, the Anglican community purchased land in Lower Manhattan to construct a new church with the approval of Governor Benjamin Fletcher. The first Trinity Church was constructed in 1698. The first minister was William Vesey who served for 49 years. In 1705, the parish's land holdings were increased to 215 acres by Queen Anne of England. During the American Revolutionary War, New York City became a British military and political base. As a result, the clergy of the church were required to be Loyalists. The church was burned down in the Great New York City Fire of 1776, which destroyed almost one-third of the city because most of the firemen in the city had gone to serve with General Washington. Many people thought the fire had been deliberately set because at that time New York City was facing the possibility of being captured by the British, and by burning down the city, the British would gain nothing. After the war, in 1784, the New York state legislature ratified the charter of Trinity Church but deleted any reference to being loyal to the King of England. The second Trinity Church was constructed in 1790, but it survived for less than 50 years. It was torn down after the winter of 1838 because of damage cause by severe snows that winter.     The current Trinity Church, which is the third Trinity Church, was constructed in 1846. The building’s Gothic Revival architecture was designed by architect Richard Upjohn. It was the tallest building in New York City until 1890. Trinity Church also withstood the 9/11 attack. After the collapse of the towers, the church served as a refuge. Trinity Church was designated as a National Historic Landmark on December 8, 1976.     Trinity Church is associated with three burial grounds: Trinity Churchyard, Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum, and the Churchyard of St. Paul's Chapel. The first one to open was the Trinity Churchyard in 1697. Since then, those burial grounds have been the final resting spots for many historic figures, such as Alexander Hamilton, Robert Fulton, John Adams Dix, and Alfred D'Orsay Tennyson Dickens.     The following video was produced by the Library of Congress using footage taken from film produced in 1903. The film shows a view of traffic looking north on Broadway at the intersection of Wall Street, just in front of the Trinity Church. As a way to get a feel for the changes that have occurred over time, stand at this intersection and look north, holding your mobile device against the modern landscape while playing the video below.

The current church is the third Trinity Church that was constructed in 1846. The history of this church dates back to the founding of its Episcopal parish in 1697. Trinity Church was established by royal charter and became the first Anglican Church in New York. Inside this historic church is the Trinity Museum with exhibits about the history of Trinity Church and St. Paul's Chapel, another historic church that is also a member of the parish. Trinity Church and St. Paul’s Chapel are surrounded by a number of historic monuments and burial plots.

In 1774, Mulligan became a tailor and opened a storefront in New York. He provided tailor services to some of the richest people in the city. Even some British officers became his customers. Though having British friends, Mulligan began acting against the government and was one of the first colonists to join the Sons of Liberty and the New York Committee of Correspondence. These two organizations wanted rid of British authority in the colonies. When war broke out in 1775, Hercules Mulligan did his part and joined a volunteer militia. He stole cannons and led the Sons of Liberty when they tore down a statue of King George III. Once Washington left New York, Mulligan was forced to stay in the city and return to tailoring. It was at this time that Hamilton suggested Mulligan become a spy for the Continental Army. Since he was friends with British officers, he was the perfect candidate for spying on them. He accepted. Throughout the war, Mulligan took on his new role perfectly. He continued tailoring for the British officers, feeding their egos, and asking the right questions. He learned valued insight into the enemy’s movements. He could oftentimes guess the British Army’s next move by knowing when the officers needed their tailored uniforms back. After finding these things out, he would send his slave, Cato, to ride out to Washington’s headquarters with the news. One night, a British officer came to Mulligan late at night in need of a coat. After asking, the officer told Mulligan about his mission to capture George Washington later that day. Mulligan sent for Cato immediately and upon receiving the news, Washington got to safety. Another time, the British had heard of Washington’s plan to travel to Rhode Island through the Connecticut shoreline. Luckily, Hercules’s brother, Hugh, was in charge of loading the British boats with supplies. Hugh told Hercules about the enemy’s strategy and Cato carried the message to Washington who found a different route. After the war, George Washington visited Mulligan’s store and asked for new clothes. This was Washington’s way of protecting Mulligan from being labeled as someone who worked closely with the British. Outside his store, Mulligan hung a sign that said: “Clothier to Genl. Washington.” Mulligan died in 1825 at the age of 80 and is buried next to Alexander Hamilton in Trinity Church in New York City.

An unsung hero of the Revolution, Hercules Mulligan was one of America’s most important spies. Hercules Mulligan was born in Coleraine, Ireland in 1740. At the age of six, Hercules moved to New York City with his family. He graduated from King’s College and married a niece of Admiral Sanders of the Royal Navy. Mulligan was a devoted supporter of the American Revolution and lived with his close friend Alexander Hamilton in the 1770s. His grave is located next to that of Alexander Hamilton's at Trinity Church Cemetery. 

Mulligan died in 1825 at the age of 80 and is buried next to Alexander Hamilton in Trinity Church in New York City.

Grave of Hercules Mulligan, Trinity Church Cemetery 

Alexander Hamilton was born on the island of Nevis in the British West Indies on January 11 of either 1755 or 1757. His father left he and his mother in 1765 while Hamilton was still young; his mother died a few years later in 1768, leading Hamilton to begin his first job at the age of 11, working as an accounting clerk for a merchant in order to support himself. With this job, Hamilton became interested in international commerce and continued to learn about the business of money and trade.Hamilton's boss was impressed with his skills when it came to accounting. He and other businessmen raised enough money to send Hamilton to America for a real education. When Hamilton was a teenager in 1773, he arrived in New York, where he studied at King's College, now known as Columbia University. Though sent to America for an education, the American colonies were about to begin a revolution against Great Britain, causing Hamilton to switch interests from academics to politics by becoming an activist for independence from Britain and publicly supporting the Boston Tea Party.In 1775, when the Revolutionary War officially began, Hamilton became part of the New York Provincial Artillery Company, made captain in 1776, and fought in the battles of Long Island, White Plains, and organized his own company at the Battle of Trenton. In 1777, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the Continental Army after fighting in several more battles. During his service in the Revolutionary War, Hamilton became close with General George Washington, who made him his assistant and trusted adviser, and later, liaison officer between Washington and French generals. For five years, Hamilton used his writing skills to write Washington's letters and create many reports on the strategic reform and restructuring of the Continental Army. On December 14, 1780, Hamilton married Elizabeth Schuyler, who was the daughter of Revolutionary War General Philip Schuyler. They had eight children together and even stayed married after Hamilton’s 1791 affair with a married woman, Maria Reynolds. Hamilton's affair with Reynolds is considered one of the first sex scandals in the country’s history.Hamilton got tired of his writing job and in 1781 he convinced Washington to let him go back to the battlefield. With Washington's permission, Hamilton led a victorious charge against the British in the Battle of Yorktown. British surrender after that battle eventually led to several treaties known as the Peace of Paris agreements, marking the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783.When Washington was elected president in 1789, he appointed Hamilton as the first secretary of the treasury. During his time as treasury secretary and before, Hamilton was pushing for a larger central government, authoring 51 of the 85 essays (from 1787-1788) composing the Federalist Papers calling for ratification of the Constitution, but fellow cabinet members did not agree and were fearful of the idea. Hamilton resigned from his position as secretary of the treasury in 1795. However, he left behind a far more secure U.S. economy to back a strengthened federal government, as he raised funds to pay off war debt, devised the first tax, budget, and accounting systems, and in 1790, created the first central bank, the Bank of the United States.During the 1800 presidential elections, Thomas Jefferson ran against John Adams. At the time, presidents and vice presidents were voted for separately, and Aaron Burr wanted to be Jefferson's vice president but tied Jefferson for the presidency. Hamilton went to work supporting Jefferson's campaign and formed an enemy in Burr.During his first term, Jefferson often left Burr out of discussions on party decisions. When Jefferson ran for re-election in 1804, he decided to remove Burr from his ticket. Burr then decided to run independently for the New York governorship but lost. Burr hit his boiling point when he read in a newspaper that Hamilton had called Burr "the most unfit and dangerous man of the community." Burr was convinced that Hamilton had ruined a second election for him, and Burr demanded an explanation. When Hamilton refused to comply, Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel. Hamilton accepted, having accepted duels in the past but ending them peacefully, as Hamilton believed duels to be morally wrong.Hamilton met Burr at the duel on July 11, 1804, in Weehawken, New Jersey, the same location Hamilton’s son, Philip, died in a duel just three years earlier. However, conflicting accounts of what occurred that day are still questionable. Hamilton’s assistant claims when it was time to shoot, Hamilton deliberately fired into the air, in hopes Burr would do the same and end the duel amicably. Burr’s assistant claims Hamilton fired at Burr, but missed. Nevertheless, Burr’s bullet found Hamilton’s stomach, and Hamilton died the next day from his injuries, after being transported to Manhattan where he requested communion from a rector in the family’s nearby Trinity Church. Just days before, on July 4, Hamilton had written a note to his wife that read “Fly to the bosom of your God and be comforted. With my last idea; I shall cherish the sweet hope of meeting you in a better world. Adieu best of wives and best of Women. Embrace all my darling Children for me.” Barr, branded an assassin, fled south. Hamilton's grave is located in the cemetery of Trinity Church in New York City. His wife, Elizabeth, and son, Philip, are buried near him.Hamilton’s inscription reads:TO THE MEMORY OFALEXANDER HAMILTONTHE CORPORATION OF TRINITY CHURCH HAS ERECTED THISMONUMENTIN TESTIMONY OF THEIR RESPECTFORTHE PATRIOT OF INCORRUPTIBLE INTEGRITY.THE SOLDIER OF APPROVED VALOUR.THE STATESMAN OF CONSUMMATE WISDOM;WHOSE TALENTS AND VIRTUES WILL BE ADMIREDBYGRATEFUL POSTERITYLONG AFTER THIS MARBLE SHALL HAVE MOULDERED INTO DUST.HE DIED JULY 12TH 1804. AGED 47.

Alexander Hamilton was killed in a duel in the same location his son, Philip, was killed by the same means just three years earlier, but questions of whether Hamilton intended to hit his target or not that day still arise. Hamilton, however, is better known for his life’s legacy rather than his death. One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, friend to George Washington, and author of the Federalist Papers, Hamilton was one of the most influential men of his time. He was instrumental in the formation of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, opposing the Articles of Confederation and using his influence to alter the course of history.

Hamilton met Burr at the duel, which was on July 11, 1804, in Weehawken, New Jersey.

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Trinity Church and Cemetery, New York City

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