Archives: The Three Rectors

Spenser Andrade
Posted: 5/5/2020

Located on the southwest corner of Seville Square, Old Christ Church is a prominent Pensacola landmark and undoubtedly a valuable historic structure. Built in 1832, the historic church served the Pensacola community for the next 71 years. The congregation moved to a new church located on North Palafox at the foot of the North Hill neighborhood in 1903. The church building continued to serve the community after it was converted into a public library and then a museum of local history. Fast forward to now, the building became part of the UWF Historic Trust. Today, the picturesque building serves as a popular venue for meetings, special events, and weddings. During normal museum hours, the church is part of the Trust’s ticketed guided tours. On the tour, visitors will be able to enter the church and learn about the history of the building from their guide. One of the more interesting facts given on the tour is the mention of three graves underneath the church.

The little black door behind Old Christ Church as seen from
Zarragoza Street.

Visitors may or may not notice the little black door located on the exterior of the church just under the stained glass of the western wall. Although off-limits to the public, the door secures the final resting place for three of the church’s former rectors. Inside the church, guests will see a marble plaque dedicated to Joseph Saunders, Frederick Peake, and David Flower. These men are the three rectors buried beneath the church. Reverends Saunders and Flower died in 1839 and 1853 respectively, and both rectors died of yellow fever. Unsurprisingly, these years also correspond with yellow fever epidemics in Pensacola. Reverend Peake died of tuberculosis in 1946. Further investigation explains why these men were buried underneath the church.

Originally, the present-day altar did not cover these graves. Additions to the original church extended the rear of the church by twenty feet covering their graves. Prior to this extension, the back of the church served as a vestry room (i.e., an office or changing room) for the clergy. After learning about a story of Union soldiers potentially vandalizing the graves during the Civil War, members of the Christ Episcopal Church congregation funded a $38,000 archaeological dig in 1988. A team of UWF archaeologists and volunteers conducted the excavation from May to July 1988. The excavation located all three graves and a forensic physical anthropologist from Florida State University helped identify the remains. After the culmination of the dig, the skeletons were placed in cedar caskets and reinterred underneath the church.