St. Gabriel's was founded in 1720 as a Swedish Lutheran church. In 1760 the church joined the Church of England. The oldest structure is known as Saint Gabriel's 1801 Chapel. It was built in 1801, and is a two-story, three bay by two bay, brownstone building. It features a herringbone design in the stone construction. The interior was restored in 1959.[2] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[1]
The larger structure was consecrated in 1884. An addition was made in 1959 that contains administrative offices and classrooms. The interior of the 1884 church was remodeled in 2003. In 2005, the existing 1959 portion of the building was remodeled and expanded to include more classrooms and a large parish hall.
The historic cemetery has veterans from most wars, starting with the Revolutionary War (25 veterans) and ending with the Persian Gulf War (1 veteran). The one exception is the Spanish-American War.
List of Clergy
Andreas Rudman, 1701-1707
Andrew Sandel, 1708-1719
Samuel Hesselius, 1720-1723
Assistant Pastors of Wicaco, 1723-1734
Gabriel Falck, 1735-1745
Henry M. Muhlenberg, 1748-1752
John Abraham Lidenius, 1752-1755
Henry M. Muhlenberg, 1755-1761
Alexander Murray, 1762–1778, 1790-1793
(During the Revolutionary War period. Reverend Murray returned to England. The Parish was cut off from the Church of England so there were no stated public ministrations.)
