Cpt Kidd Helped Build Trinity Church - New York, NY - Pirates on Waymarking.com

While Captain Kidd may have been commonly known for his hostile acts at sea, his connection to Trinity Church suggests he may not have been all bad. Kidd aided Trinity Church in the construction of their first church building in 1696.

Kidd owned a home at 119 Pearl Street, which at the time would have been waterfront property, and it is said that he docked his ship, the Adventure Galley, within sight of the bedroom window of the house. The impressive home was just a few blocks from the site of Trinity Church.

It is noted in the July 1696 minutes of The Vestry of Trinity Church that “Capt. Kidd has lent a Runner & Tackle for the hoisting up Stones as long as he stays here.” The runner and tackle borrowed from Captain Kidd would have been a pulley system, of sorts, allowing workers to lift heavy stones during construction of the church.

Not only did Kidd provide assistance to Trinity in their earliest days, but as one of the wealthiest inhabitants of New York City at the time he was a candidate for a pew at Trinity Church. Captain Kidd’s name (technically the name of his heirs) appears on a 1718 pew list as the occupant of pew No. 4. As Kidd had been executed in 1701, and his life story indicates that he was not in New York from the time Trinity opened in 1698 through time of his death, he likely never had the chance to use the pew himself or to worship at Trinity, but his heirs remained the owners of the pew 17 years after his death, and it is likely that his wife Sarah and their two daughters would have used the pew.

Despite his never attending church at the site, it is said that his ghost can sometimes be seen in Trinity Churchyard. Legend has it that he haunts the church "searching for the grave that should have rightfully been his."

Site Description: Historic site Date of Pirate Activity (Estimated): 1696 Reference Web-link or Book Title: https://trinitywallstreet.org/stories-news/captain-kidd-lends-runner-tackle-building-first-trinity-church Site Admission (If needed): No Admission Hours Available (If needed): 8:30 am to 6:30 pm Daily Additional Information (optional): Don't forget to come inside and look for Pew No. 4!

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