Second Temple of Trinity Church, New York

This is the second temple of Trinity Church in New York, in 1828 or before. The illustration above was engraved by James Eddy, Wall Street, from a drawing by A.J. Davis. It was published in The New-York Mirror, and Ladies' Literary Gazette, Volume V, printed in 1828.

The first temple was destroyed in the fire of 1776. The second temple was completed in 1790 and demolished in 1839 due to structural problems. The second temple had been undergoing repairs for some time and its demolition was decided on August 8, that year.

In 1838, some apprehensions existed as to the safety of the roof of the Church and it was the purpose of the corporation to build a new roof. In the course of the works it had been ascertained that the walls were out of plumb, and were in some places cracked from the cornice to the base. Even after this the tower was supposed to be firm, but an examination had shown that the whole structure seemed to have been miserably built. The mortar had not its due proportion of sand, and had never formed a cement, crumbling at the touch. Demolition of the old temple was finished by September 17, 1839.

In December of the same year, in removing the foundation of the old tower, a vaulted grave was opened, which contained the coffin and bones of Lady Cornbury, wife of the Governor of the colony, who died in this city in 1706, and was buried under the original church, which was burned in 1776, during the Revolutionary War.