- Benjamin Franklin was a member of the congregation that built the Church.
- The bell that was once in the bell tower of the Church rang for the signers of the declaration of independence.
Edgar Allen Poe lived a half a mile from the Church for 6 years while he wrote many short stories, including “The Tell-Tale Heart.
- Harry Hanley Parker, an acclaimed Philadelphia artist known for his murals, sculptures and architecture, painted the life size biblical mural behind the altar in the main sanctuary of the Church.
- In 1816, William Henry, a resident who lived 2.5 miles from the Ruffin Nichols Church was the first private residence that was illuminated by gas.
- In 1979 lightning shattered the once present, sizable 10 foot granite steeple that sat atop the front tower of the Church.
- A large Wurlitzer pipe organ is housed in the main sanctuary, which was operational in the 60's and was accompanied by a full choir and organ player for Sunday Mass.
- The Church was fashioned after Gothic Revival Architecture, some of the most distinguishing features being lavish exterior stone work, tall windows with pointed arches and intricate stained glass.
- Stained glass reached its height in the Middle Ages when it became a major pictorial art form, which was used to illustrate the narratives of the Bible to those who couldn't read.
- The Church was built in 1844 and was operational until the Fall of 2010.
- The AME Church was founded in 1816 by Richard Allen, after black members of the nearby Methodist Episcopal Church became disillusioned with how they were treated.
- Today, the African Methodist Episcopal Church has membership in twenty Episcopal Districts in thirty-nine countries on five continents.
- Built by The Church of Saint Jude, this Episcopal Church was once considered one of the most richly furnished and classic churches in the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of that time.
August 03, 2012