Pennington Presbyterian Church Historical Cemetery

13 South Main Street

With the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the beginning of the American Revolution, Reverend Guild - a staunch patriot - became the special object of the hatred of the enemy. When the British and the hired Hessian troops took possession of Pennington and its largest building, the Presbyterian Church, Minister Guild was forced to escape with his children (his wife had died ten years before) to Pennsylvania where he lived with the Slack family in Bucks County. During his absence, his home was ransacked by the redcoats and professional soldiers England had hired from the German province of Hesse. These occupation troops destroyed the minister's records and ripped his books to shreds.

The church, which the Reverend loved so much, became a barracks for the invaders who used the pews as blocks for chopping meat. They broke the marble top of the communion table, presumably during a meeting when an officer became so angered when his suggestion was vetoed that he struck the stone slab with his flintlock or his saber. The brick wall in front of the churchyard made an excellent obstacle over which the horses were jumped for exercise.

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updated January 2017
posted June 2007