Explore by clicking on an image to learn more about how individuals or literary works are connected to King’s Chapel.
Literary Congregants: Poets and Authors within King's Chapel's Membership
Learn about the lives and works of two notable 19th-Century poets, each of whom found their spiritual home at King's Chapel. While Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. was a recognized and established writer during his lifetime, Sarah Wentworth Morton faced many challenges as a female writer working in the early 19th century. Click on their images below to learn about each of their lives, literary careers, and to read selections of their poetry.
Literary Congregants: Observers, Diarists, and Letter Writers
Personal writings and letters provide vital insight into the past, enabling readers to step into the shoes of those who came before them and learn about life as experienced by historical individuals. While the personal writings of these King's Chapel's members were not originally intended to be published, these works hold immense literary and historical value. Click on the images below to learn these individual's stories and read their words.
Literary Congregants: Civic and Political Writings
It has often been said that the pen is mightier than the sword. Written and spoken word have been powerful tools of civic and political change throughout the history of the United States. Click on the images below to learn more about two congregants of King's Chapel who used their writings as forms of political activism at the time of the America Revolution.
Personal Connections: Literary Friends and Relatives of King's Chapel
While not members of King's Chapel's congregation, several well-known writers and poets have very personal connections to King's Chapel. One is connected through their family, while the other is connected through a lifelong friendship. And both visited King's Chapel on several occasions during their lives. Click on the images below to learn more about how Louisa May Alcott and T.S. Eliot are connected to King's Chapel.
Writings about King's Chapel and its Congregants
King's Chapel and its congregants have also served as inspiration for poets and writers over the years. In this section, each writer below is connected to King's Chapel through the subject and content of their poetry or prose. Click on the images below to learn how each of these well-known figures in American history is connected to King's Chapel through writing.
Literary Clergy: King's Chapel Ministers
Ministers have contributed a substantial amount to the church’s written history. A large portion of these written works consists of sermons given as part of these ministers’ regular responsibilities—sermons for weekly services, as well as those celebrating a marriage or baptism, or commemorating a life at a funeral service. However, many historic ministers of King’s Chapel also wrote poems, prose, hymns, or histories on subjects religious or otherwise. Click on the images below to learn about King's Chapel's ministers and their written achievements.