Old Swedes Historic Site
The Hendrickson House, early burial ground, and Holy Trinity Church preserve layers of New Sweden and later Wilmington lives.
Artwork inspired by Edward Loper Sr.
A visit begins at the Hendrickson House rather than at the church door. From there a guide connects the burial ground, first used in 1638, to the fieldstone-and-brick Holy Trinity Church built in 1698–99. The church is not a structure from the first Swedish landing. Its white tower was added later, and generations of worshippers altered its interior.
Look beyond a single founding narrative. The cemetery traces families across centuries, including people who argued both for and against women’s suffrage. A tour reveals more about the church’s construction, community, and adjacent eighteenth-century house than a photograph from the gate. This independently operated National Park partner has its own admission and reservation rules.
- Church dedicated
- 1699
- Burial ground
- Established 1638
- Tower
- Added after the original church
Quick guide
- Book the tour
- The church and house are interpreted together on a reserved guided visit.
- Begin at Hendrickson House
- Meet your guide there before crossing the burial ground.
Know before you go
- Trace the chronology
- The cemetery predates the church by six decades.
- Study the wall
- Brandywine fieldstone and ballast brick make the structure tangible.
- Read a life
- Choose a grave marker and ask which later communities it represents.
- Notice the tower
- Its later addition complicates an image of an unchanged building.
Good to know
A federal park pass does not cover this partner-operated site. There are no public restrooms on the grounds, and the guided tour needs a reservation.
Notice these
- Holy Trinity Church
- 1638 Burial Ground
- Hendrickson House