Before Pennsylvania there was New Sweden. The church, known locally as "Old Swedes," sits on pastoral surroundings and contains a burial ground. The church was built between 1698 and 1700, which makes it the oldest church in all of Pennsylvania, the oldest surviving building within Philadelphia, and one of the oldest churches in the country. Revolutionary War and Civil War veterans, and sea captains are buried in the cemetery, which has been in use since the 1700s. The church was designated as a National Historical Site in 1942, six years before Independence Hall.