St. Thomas Manor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Thomas Manor
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St. Ignatius Church at St. Thomas Manor, September 2009
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 Location in Maryland
Location in the United States
Location in the United States
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| Location | Maryland Route 427/Chapel Point Rd., Port Tobacco |
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| Area | 10.7 acres (4.3 ha) |
| Built | 1741 |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 88002050 |
| Added to NRHP | November 10, 1988 |
St. Thomas Manor, built in 1741, is a very old house and Catholic church complex. You can find it near Port Tobacco in Charles County, Maryland. It's also known as St. Ignatius Church and Cemetery. This manor house complex is special because it's the oldest place where Jesuits (a group of Catholic priests) have lived and worked without stopping, anywhere in the world!
The story of this place began in 1641. That's when Father Andrew White, an English Jesuit missionary, started a settlement called Chapel Point. Father White worked with the Potapoco Native Americans. He helped some of them learn about and join the Catholic faith. The church here, established in 1662, is the oldest Roman Catholic parish that has been continuously active in the American Thirteen Colonies. In 1794, something very important happened: Bishop John Carroll was made a bishop here. This made St. Thomas the first official center for a Roman Catholic bishop in the United States.
Contents
Exploring St. Thomas Manor
The main house is a two-story building made of brick. It's built in the Georgian style, which was popular a long time ago. This manor house is the oldest example of the Georgian style still standing in Maryland. It was built in 1741 to be the main office for the Jesuit Mission in Maryland. It replaced an older building that was there before. This house was also a central point for other Jesuit missions in Maryland and the mid-Atlantic region.
Right next to the manor house is a two-story brick section. This part used to be a chapel built in 1798, but now it's called St. Ignatius Church. There are also other old buildings on the property. One is a small, wooden building from the mid-1800s that was used as a slave quarter. It's one of the very few such buildings left in this area. Another interesting building is the old corn crib. It's the biggest one of its kind in Charles County and has many unique building features.
To the west of the house and church, you'll find a cemetery. Many important people are buried there. These include Confederate agent Olivia Floyd, local helper Adrian Posey, judge Walter M. Digges, and U.S. Congressmen Sydney Emanuel Mudd and Sydney Emanuel Mudd II.
St. Thomas Manor was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. Because of its rich history and beautiful location by the water, many people visit the manor grounds, church, and cemetery. It's also a popular stop for bicycle tour groups.
Important Moments in History
In 1794, a very special event took place at St. Thomas Manor. John Carroll put on his robes here to become the first Catholic bishop of the United States. This happened after the country won its independence in the Revolutionary War. (He later went to London for his official ceremony to become a bishop.) This moment made St. Thomas the first official center for a Roman Catholic bishop in the United States.
The St. Thomas complex was also important for the Jesuit order in the United States. The Catholic Church had stopped the Jesuit order in 1773. But in 1805, it was brought back to life in the U.S. right here. Three American priests took their vows at St. Ignatius Church.
Some of the enslaved people owned by the Jesuit Maryland Province lived at St. Thomas Manor. In 1838, the Jesuits sold 272 enslaved people. The Maryland Province Jesuits did not support the slave trade, but they did practice slavery.
Church Records and Native American History
During the time of slavery and after the American Civil War, many southern governments only classified people as black or white. But St. Ignatius Church was different. It was one of the Catholic churches that kept records of its Native American members as "Indian," even if they were of mixed race.
In other old records from the colonial times and the early United States, the tribal identities of some Native Americans were lost. This happened when outsiders labeled them as "free people of color," "colored," or "white," no matter how they saw themselves. Researching these Catholic records has helped some tribes prove their long history and identity as Native Americans. This has helped them gain official recognition as tribes from states and the federal government since the late 1900s.
Images for kids
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St. Thomas Manor, Historic Marker, September 2009
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St. Thomas Manor, St. Ignatius Church, June 26, 2011.
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Explanatory sign at St. Thomas Manor, St. Ignatius Church, June 26, 2011.
See also
- List of Jesuit sites
