07/08/2026
Rev. Edward Bass and the Survival of St. Paul’s Church during the
American Revolution
Wednesday, July 15th at 12 noon
Newburyport Senior Community Center
At the start of the American Revolution, St. Paul’s Church was an Anglican Church of England. The parish was founded in 1711, making it one of the ten oldest Episcopal churches in the US. Serving as rector from 1753 to 1803, before, during, and after the American Revolution, Rev. Edward Bass had taken an oath of allegiance to the King as the head of the church. In 1776, his congregation was divided among rebellious ship owners and merchants whose livelihoods were threatened by British taxation, ardent revolutionaries set on independence, and staunch loyalists devoted to the King. The decisions he made after the Declaration of Independence was ratified and signed determined whether his church would survive or be destroyed.
Bronson de Stadler, amateur historian, will present the story of St. Paul’s survival on Wednesday, July 15, at 12 noon in the Newburyport Senior/Community Center. Hear the story of Edward Bass, later Bishop Bass, who saved his church by putting faith over politics. Also learn how the Declaration of Independence was read at St. Paul’s Church by Tristram Dalton, the first Massachusetts Senator, at the first session of the United States Congress. All are welcome to this free event sponsored by the Greater Newburyport Village.
