Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., circa 1872
Nineteenth-century King’s Chapel member Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809-1894) was quite the “Renaissance Man” as an accomplished writer, physician, professor at Harvard Medical School, and inventor. However, Holmes’ aptitude for writing contributed to his successes in both his vocation and avocations - his contributions in the medical field included his famous essay “Contagiousness of Puerperal Fever” and his literary “Breakfast-Table” series are still often read in classrooms today.
Oliver Wendell Holmes started writing stories and poetry at a young age. At just 21-years-old, he published the poem “Old Ironsides” which encouraged readers to support the preservation of the USS Constitution. When visiting the USS Constitution Museum along the Freedom Trail today, visitors will find that the naval ship is still nicknamed “Old Ironsides,” thanks to Holmes’ centuries-old poem. Literary colleagues, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, formed the Fireside Poets alongside Oliver Wendell Holmes, as well as the popular 19th-century magazine The Atlantic Monthly, where several of his literary works were published during his lifetime.
Holmes became a member of King’s Chapel after marrying Amelia Lee Jackson at the chapel on June 16, 1840. His view while attending services came from the upstairs gallery which is where his wife’s family, including the Cabots and Lowells, sat for much of the nineteenth century. King’s Chapel and its members also became the inspiration for many of Oliver Wendell Holmes’ poems, including King’s Chapel, which he wrote for its 200th anniversary in 1886. You can read this poem further down the page.
This poem about King’s Chapel conveys Holmes’ fondness for his church and his knowledge of its history. The twelve stanzas clearly refer to the chapel’s Anglican beginnings and historic members of the congregation, as well as its physical appearance. Below are some aspects of the chapel that Holmes refers to in the poem - can you find them?
Oliver Wendell Holmes started writing stories and poetry at a young age. At just 21-years-old, he published the poem “Old Ironsides” which encouraged readers to support the preservation of the USS Constitution. When visiting the USS Constitution Museum along the Freedom Trail today, visitors will find that the naval ship is still nicknamed “Old Ironsides,” thanks to Holmes’ centuries-old poem. Literary colleagues, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, formed the Fireside Poets alongside Oliver Wendell Holmes, as well as the popular 19th-century magazine The Atlantic Monthly, where several of his literary works were published during his lifetime.
Holmes became a member of King’s Chapel after marrying Amelia Lee Jackson at the chapel on June 16, 1840. His view while attending services came from the upstairs gallery which is where his wife’s family, including the Cabots and Lowells, sat for much of the nineteenth century. King’s Chapel and its members also became the inspiration for many of Oliver Wendell Holmes’ poems, including King’s Chapel, which he wrote for its 200th anniversary in 1886. You can read this poem further down the page.
This poem about King’s Chapel conveys Holmes’ fondness for his church and his knowledge of its history. The twelve stanzas clearly refer to the chapel’s Anglican beginnings and historic members of the congregation, as well as its physical appearance. Below are some aspects of the chapel that Holmes refers to in the poem - can you find them?
Read Holmes' poem "King's Chapel, Read at the 200th Anniversary:"
Is it a weanling's weakness for the past |
These died that we might claim a soil unstained, |