Patrick Henry demanded liberty or death here at St. John's Church, 2401 East Broad Street, the oldest church in the city of Richmond. This stone of a place was built in 1741 by William Randolph's son, Colonel Richard Randolph, and the Church Hill district around you was named for it. The church was the site of two important conventions in the period leading to the American Revolutionary War and is famous as the location where American Founding Father Patrick Henry gave his memorable speech at the Second Virginia Convention, closing with the often-quoted demand, "Give me liberty or give me death!
St. John's is designated as a National Historic Landmark and remains a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. Its story reaches back even farther — the earliest precursor was Henrico Parish Church, initially located at Sir Thomas Dale's development at Henricus. In recent years the congregation reported 230 members in 2015 and 306 members in 2023; no membership statistics were reported nationally in 2024 parochial reports.
Plate and pledge income reported for the congregation in 2024 was $279,732, and average Sunday attendance in 2024 was 81 persons. The Church Hill streets, named for this very church, spread out before you.