St. Peter's Church (Queenstown, Maryland) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Peter's Church
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 Location in Maryland
Location in the United States
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| Location | Southeast of Queenstown on U.S. Route 50, Queenstown, Maryland |
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| Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Built | 1823-1827 |
| Architectural style | Victorian Gothic |
| NRHP reference No. | 80001833 |
St. Peter's Church, also known as the Church of St. Peter the Apostle, is a nearly 200-year-old Catholic church. It is located in Maryland's Eastern Shore near Queenstown. The church is a well-known building along U.S. Route 50 in Maryland. This road is a main path from Washington and Baltimore to popular beach towns in Maryland and Delaware.
Catholic families first came to Kent Island around 1639. They later moved to the area that became Queenstown. At first, they practiced their religion quietly in their homes. The church's local community, called a parish, started in 1765. The first small church building, or chapel, was built sometime in the next 20 years. This was the third lasting Catholic mission on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
Work on the church you see today began in 1823 and finished in 1827. The building was made bigger in 1877. This happened after people could not raise enough money to build a brand new church in town. Only a part of the church's outside walls remains from the 1827 building.
The church is built in the Victorian-Gothic style. It has a steep roof and round rose windows. It stands very close to the road. The inside of the church looks much like it did after the 1877 changes. It still has the original stained glass and altar furniture from that time. St. Peter's Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 10, 1980.
Contents
Where is St. Peter's Church?
St. Peter's Church is located about 1.5 miles south of Queenstown, Maryland. This area is part of a large piece of land called the Delmarva Peninsula. This peninsula separates the Chesapeake Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. It includes all of Delaware and the eastern parts of Maryland and Virginia.
Nearby Kent Island was where the first lasting European settlement in Maryland began in 1631. The church is just a few steps from the north side of U.S. Route 50. Even though the area around the church is mostly countryside, Route 50 can get very busy in the summer. Many travelers from the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area use this road to reach beach towns. These include Ocean City in Maryland and several beaches in Delaware.
Early Catholic Life in Maryland
In the early days of the 13 English colonies, Catholics were a very small group. They often faced unfair rules. Catholic churches and schools were usually not allowed, except in Pennsylvania. However, the Maryland colony was different. It tried to let Catholics and Protestants live together as equals. This effort had some problems, but it was unique.
Catholics arrived on Maryland's Eastern Shore around Kent Island in 1639. They likely moved from Kent Island to the Queenstown area in the 1640s. This might have happened during a disagreement between Lord Baltimore (who was Catholic) and William Claiborne (who was Protestant). This fight was over who controlled the island.
During this time, the area around Queenstown became home to many Catholic landowners. These families continued to practice their faith quietly. They often used a room in their own homes as a small chapel.
How St. Peter's Church Began
The local church community, or parish, of St. Peter's was officially started in 1765. A small chapel was built sometime before 1784. This was the third lasting Catholic mission on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
In 1765, Reverend Joseph Mosley was the leader at St. Joseph's, another mission nearby. He also helped five other smaller mission stations in the area. Over time, he spent more time in Queen Anne's County. Queenstown became his main group of followers. Father John Bolton took over from him in 1787.
Building the Church
In 1760, Edward Neale, who lived in Bowlingly, passed away. His will left money for his family. It also gave 50 pounds for a Catholic priest to buy land nearby. This way, the priest could live close to the church community. Bowlingly was next to Queenstown.
Catholic leaders bought 1.5 acres of land from Edward Rogers for 28 pounds. This land was about 1.5 miles from Queenstown, along the road to Easton. Records from Reverend Mosley show that the first church was already built by 1784. However, no records tell us the exact year it was finished. This first building looked more like a house than a church. In 1819, Archbishop Marechal called it "a most miserable old house." It was also too small for the growing number of people.
A New Church Building
In the early 1820s, the church community received more generous gifts from its members' wills. These donations helped Reverend James Moynihan start planning for a new church in 1823. Moynihan had health problems, so Reverend Peter Veulemans took over. He became the first priest to live at St. Peter's.
The new building was 45 feet long and 30 feet wide. It was made of brick. After the new church was finished in 1827, the old building was turned into a parsonage, which is a house for the priest. This old building lasted until it was torn down in 1960.
Today's Church Building
By 1868, many Catholic churches in Maryland's Eastern Shore were old and in poor condition. In 1869, Reverend Edward Henchy planned to build a brand new church in downtown Queenstown. This new church would also have a house for the priest. Festivals and events were held to raise money for this project.
However, they did not raise as much money as they hoped. So, in 1877, church leaders decided to make the current church bigger instead of building a completely new one. Building materials were brought close to the site by boat. The total cost was about $5,000 to $6,000.
The expanded church kept some of the brick walls from the 1820s building. About 2,000 people came to a special dedication ceremony on December 23, 1877. This expanded church is mostly the same building that stands today. A brick sacristy (a room where priests prepare for services) and a meeting room were added to the northeast side in the 1960s.
Updates and Changes Over Time
For the next 100 years, the church received many updates. In the 1930s, the cemetery was made level and restored. Reverend Francis J. Fisher was in charge of replacing an old stove with an oil furnace and adding electricity to the church in the 1930s and 1940s.
In the 1950s, the State Roads Commission planned to widen U.S. Route 50. They wanted to tear down the church. But an appeal saved the church! It was agreed that the church would build a brick wall between the road and the building. The Friel family helped pay for and design this wall. They also helped extend the wall along the sides of the church later on.
By 1959, the old priest's house was considered a fire danger and was torn down. Two new parts were added in 1967 where the old house used to be: a sacristy and a meeting room. The children of Helena Green Raskob paid for the meeting room, and it was named the Raskob Memorial Room in her honor. The Friel family also helped with the new sacristy. The new additions were designed by James R. Friel and architect John Walton. In the 1970s, the church was updated again, and air conditioning was added.
What the Church Looks Like
Reverend Henchy is known as the designer of the 1877 church. The 1820s church was changed from a simple rectangle to a cruciform shape. This means it looks like a cross from above. This was done by adding a nave (the main part of the church) on one side and an apse (a rounded end) on the other. The ceiling inside was made about twice as high. Many local families helped with the changes by providing labor or moving materials. The round rose windows were given by Nannie Willson and designed by Katie Bordley.
Outside the Church
The church building is made of brick and uses parts of the original 1820s walls. The most noticeable things on the outside are the steep slate roofs. There are also large rose windows on the east, north, and west ends. A Victorian bell cupola (a small dome-like structure) is on the south side, closest to the road. You can also see Victorian-Gothic vergeboards on the pointed parts of the roof. A newspaper article from the dedication ceremony said that the "beautifully toned bell" could be heard 1.5 miles away in Queenstown!
Inside the Church
The inside of the church follows the cruciform plan. It has a nave, a transept (the part that crosses the nave), and an apse. You enter the nave from a small entrance area called a vestibule or narthex on the south side. A main aisle runs through the nave, with pews (church benches) on each side. This aisle ends at a walnut communion rail. A gallery (an upper floor) is at the back of the nave. It is held up by pillars with chamfered (beveled) edges.
The transept is what remains from the 1820s church. At each end of the transept, there is a rose window with two windows below it. All of these windows have original stained glass. The apse is shaped like an octagon and holds the altar. A newspaper article from the dedication described the altar as "colorful marble, carved into unique and beautiful designs." The door to the left of the altar leads to a small confessional (a private place for confession). The door to the right leads to the sacristy built in the 1960s.
Most of the wooden parts inside the church are from the 1877 expansion. Some pews in the gallery are from the 1820s church. The paneled wainscoting (wood paneling on the lower part of the walls) was added during a 1927 celebration. It was made to look like the 1877 gallery railing. All the stained glass and altar furniture are from 1877.
The Cemetery
More than 300 people are buried in St. Peter's Cemetery. Not all graves have tombstones, but they are listed in the church's records. The oldest grave belongs to Joseph King, who died in 1820. His gravestone is near a tall boxwood bush. Reverend Henchy, who died in 1895, is also buried there. His gravestone says "Pastor of the church for 20 years."
St. Peter's Church Today
St. Peter's Church in Queenstown is one of two churches that belong to the same parish. The other church, Our Mother of Sorrows, is less than 10 miles away in Centreville, Maryland. The parish serves about 620 families. It offers many programs, including religious education and hospitality events.
Mass times at St. Peter's are 5:30 pm on Saturdays and 7:30 am on Sundays. In 2019, the church received donations that allowed it to start fixing its windows. More work is planned for the outside of the building.
A Historic Landmark
The paperwork to list St. Peter's Church on the National Register of Historic Places was prepared on April 28, 1978. The form stated that "St. Peter's Church has played an important role in the history of the Roman Catholic Church in Maryland." It also noted that a Catholic community started in this area soon after a colony was founded on Kent Island in 1631. This group, along with communities in other counties, formed the earliest Catholic groups in the American colonies. The church was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 10, 1980.
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