The white clapboard church on Church Hill where Patrick Henry gave his "Give me liberty or give me death" speech on March 23, 1775, galvanising Virginia's support for the American Revolution. The church is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Richmond, predating the Revolution itself. Re-enactors perform the speech in the church throughout summer, with remarkable effectiveness — the small colonial interior makes the drama immediate.
The churchyard contains graves from the colonial period through the 19th century, including that of Edgar Allan Poe's mother, Elizabeth Arnold Poe, who died in Richmond in 1811. The surrounding Church Hill neighbourhood is one of Richmond's finest, with views west toward downtown from the top of the hill.