T-49

St. John's Chapel of St. Michael's Parish

Architectural Survey File

This is the architectural survey file for this MIHP record. The survey file is organized reverse-

chronological (that is, with the latest material on top). It contains all MIHP inventory forms, National

Register nomination forms, determinations of eligibility (DOE) forms, and accompanying documentation

such as photographs and maps.

Users should be aware that additional undigitized material about this property may be found in on-site

architectural reports, copies of HABS/HAER or other documentation, drawings, and the “vertical files” at

the MHT Library in Crownsville. The vertical files may include newspaper clippings, field notes, draft

versions of forms and architectural reports, photographs, maps, and drawings. Researchers who need a

thorough understanding of this property should plan to visit the MHT Library as part of their research

project; look at the MHT web site (mht.maryland.gov) for details about how to make an appointment.

All material is property of the Maryland Historical Trust.

Last Updated: 04-05-2004

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Form 10-300 (July 196?)

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM

STATE·

M~ryland

c ou:...i ·r y · ,

OR NPS USE ONl Y

~Talbot -------,---------

Nur~OER I ~~~~

(Type all entries - complete applicable sections) . I ------~ ... ~·---~~------------- -

NAME c 0~~1......,0 ~1

St. John's Chapel of St. Michael's Parish -- --· ------ANC CR HlSTORt C·

j St._ -?"ohn 's Chapel LOCATION ----------- ·-. ----·---------- -- ----I STR: E 'T t~·~:- ~..JUM:_-i~_:_F-:

1'•1arv land Ronte 3 70 I at Miles River, on Miles River Neck --

Cl TY OR TOWN:

Easton STAT~ I CODE ! C'JUNTY· I COOE

~(3._:ry). ~ n c:l I 24 I Talbot I 041 --l -3. CLASSlr-ICATION ----.---------------------·----~-------------~

lo D

CA TE GORY

(Cht·1.:k UnP)

Dr strict c:J Bui I ding

Site [X Structure

OWNERSHIP STA TU'.'.

Public Acquisition: 0 Occupied

O In Process

ACCESSIBLE

TO THE PU3LIC

Yes:

Resfricted

0 Object

0 Public

~ Private

[] Both 0 Being Considered

[]!'. Unoccupied D 0 Preservor1on work 0 Unr~s tri.::ted

in progress rn No

PRESENT USE (Check One or ,\lore as Appropriate)

C Agriculturol 0 Government 0 Park 0 Transportation 0 Comments

0 Commercial p Industrial 0 Private Residence IXJ Other (Specify) -------

I 0 Educotionol 0 0 Entertainment 0

Mi litory 0 Religious abandoned Museum 0 Scientific

f4. OWNER OF PROPERTY OWNER'S NAME:

Vestry of St. Michael's Parish contact: Rev. Donald F. Ethertm'l

STREET AND NUMBER:

Talbot Street 104 West Chestnut Street ~C-l_T_Y_O_R_T_O_W_N_: ------------------------St;,.,--±yl;;~~.tl;i;ti=-:!::S-,--fliltacr'</~-aJ~l---r-;C~O~D~E:-1

St. Michaels Maryland 24 ~LOCA-=f!ONOF L~_GAL DESCRIPTION ____ .. _._

COURTHOUSE. rlCGISTRY OF DEEDS. ETC· -----·-------·--------------;

Talbot County Courthouse STREET ANO NUMBER:

Courthouse Square CITY OR TOWN: STATE

Easton Maryland 24

16. REPRESENTATfON IN EXISTING SURVEY-S·--------+--------------'---i

I Maryland Register of Historic Sites and Landmarks i

jTITLE OF SURVEY:

DATE D F SUR v E y: 19 71 ___ [J_F_e_d_er~-- - _-_ -x-1-. -S-ta_t_e---,-. -J _C_o._u_n_ty ___ l __ ::'-, _L_o_c_o_~---_=:J-~. DEPO:;fTQRY o:"QR SURVEY RLCORDS

.Mary land Historical Trust !STREET AND NUMBER:

--- - ·--------· - ---- - ---------~ l

:; T:~~a Road

napolis ----~ ----~---- -··------------· ·--- -

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T-49

0 Excellent I_; Good D Fair L1 Dct<>rie><c~ed fKJ Ruins 0 Unexposed

i: I DESCRIPTION r- --- ----~-- (Chee/.: One)

CONDITION (Cllt•ck One) - ··r (Check bne)

~ __ [2_~~t~~-~---- __ LX __ ~"_a-~t~ -~- ________ fl Moved XJ Original Sit~ IOESCRIBE THE PRESENT ANO OHIG!NAL (if known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

I St. John's Chapel of St. Michael's Parish is a granite Gothic I Revival ruin standing on the north bank of the .Miles River.

I The deteriorating walls are partially obscured by ivy. It is in danger of being demolished by the proposed widening of the

1 Miles River Bridge.

Similar to other early Gothic Revival chapels built during the second quarter of the nineteenth century, St. John's is basic­ally a -re.ctangular box with a west tower. . It is almost iden­tical to the Episcopal Church at Newark, Delaware, except that the Delaware church is covered with stucco and painted white. This type of church is similar to some New England meeting houses, but here the New England steeples are replaced by a crenelated tower. The windows are pointed and have Gothic sashes.

The building measures thirty-five feet wide and fifty feet deep, not including the square crenelated tower protruding from the west facade. There are the remains of a chancel and sacristy on the east end.

The windows and doors have lancet arches composed of four pieces of dressed granite. Two plaster panels of the same size and shape as the side windows flank the entrance tower. Above the double doors in the tower is a huge lancet opening, formerly a window, but now filled in with boards. Below the top of the tower and above the aforementioned arch is a short arcade, now entwined with ivy. At each corner of the struc­ture is a square buttress which extends above the former "A" roof.

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The chapel having been abandoned around 1895 and allowed to ~ deteriorate, few pews, sashes, blinds, etc. have survived. Nevertheless, enough detail remains to effect accurate restor­ation drawings of the vestibule and nave.

There was originally a wide block of box pews in the center of the church and a narrow tier·of pews along each outside wall. The design of the box pews is similar to the earlier Georgian churches of the area, but with lighter detail. In the two west corners were winding staircases '.le~ding to the gallery and tower. Traces of plaster cornice remain on the north side of the tower. The plaster was furred 'out from the granite walls except on the huge brick arch between the chancel and nave.

The Maryland State Highway

I 'ralbot County and worthy of

Historical Trust has recommended the ruin to the Administration and the Historical Society of as historically and architecturally important preservation.

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f;i. SICNIFICANC_E _____________________ _

PERlO:) (Check One or l•!•'"}re as Appropriotc)

CJ Pre-Columbian

0 15th Century

~] 161h Century

0 17th Century

[_; 18th Cer1tury

;·x 19th Century ,·

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:---1 20th Cen:ury

!---------------------------- ---~-~------------------------! SPEC I Fl C DAT Els: (If Appl icab!e and Kriown) 18 ~3-=5_-~l=--'-8~3~9---------------------;' AREAS or SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or.'1ore ns Appropriate)

Abar iginol

0 Prehistoric

0 Historic

CJ Agriculture

XJ Archi tscture

Cl Art

0 Commnrca

-- -TI-Communications

0 Conservation

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

CJ E due a ti on

0 Engineering

D Industry

0 lnventi on

0 Landscape

Architecture

-l-1 Li teraturc

[] Military

[J Music

[':/ Political

:kl Religion/Phi.

losophy

[--] Science

[-I Sculpture

[-j Socool 1 Humon-

itorion

I ~ Theater

1 Transportation

~') Urban Planning

[X Other (Specify)

local historv

St. John's Chapel of St. Michael's Parish \vas the first Gothic Revival granite church constructed in Talbot County, as well as the first on the Eastern Shore. It has survived to date (1972) as a ruin.

Construction was begun.in 1835 on land donated by Charles Lowndes. The Chapel was consecrated in 1839 by the Right Reverend George Washington Doane, Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of New Jersey (1832). The rector of the parish dur­ing the years of construction was the Reverend Joseph Spencer.

St. John's Chapel is apparently the prototype of the granite Gothic Reviyal church of which there are several in Talbot County, such as Christ Church, St. Peter's Parish (1841); Christ Church, St. Michael's Parish (1878); Trinity Church, Oxford; and the Cathedral in Easton.

The members of the parish during the years of planning and construction were some of the most important and influential people in the state and in the county. Being abreast of the styles of the day, it was logical that they should be respon­sible for the introduction of the Gothic element into Ecclesi­astical building on the Eastern Shore. They constructed a building, which, even in its decay, is a monument to the in­tegrity of taste not only of the Lowndes, Lloyds, Tilghmans, Buchannans, and Goldsboroughs, but also to the workmen who constructed the building.and to the black people who were baptized and married there.

Consideration is presently (1972} being given to the stabi­lization of the walls and possible preservation as a ruin.

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T-49 -, 9. MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES -----==--==-~-~-=. -- ______ I ------------

Addison, James T. The E.eiscoEal Church Arction Books, 19 69.

Albright, Raymond W. A History of the p Church. MacMillan Company, New

Harper, Anna Ellis. "History of St. Mic 1956.

[see

in the United States. ! , rotestant Episcopal York, 1964.

hael's Parish." n.p.,

continucttion sheet] --------------------------- -- -- -- -- ---- ------~- -- - ---------110. GEOGRAPHICAL DATA

_______ !

......)

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--------- - ------ --·---·- .. ~-~~ITU;~·A,:;~.:.-:-1;~0~ ~0-0~;~~~s---,-r LATI T UDE ANO LOJ',iGfTUDE COORDIN1-'l.Tl~S

i DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATIN.G T>-;iO ;.>ROPEHTY 0 DE-:FINlt'J G THE CE.NTER POINT OF A PnOPfHTY

··-- R OF LESS Tl-lAN TFN ACRES ------

CORNER LATITUDE LO'~G1TUDE '.ATI TUDE LONG\ TUD! L.---..-----

Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees ,'.\ir.utes Seconds Degrees .\~in utes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seco··d~

NW 0 . 0 " 0

0 " G " 38 4 NE

SE 0 . 0 . <,W 0 . 0 .

APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED P~OPERTY: 4 9-Cres ----------~------·-- -- -- ---- - . .. -·

iLIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PRO?E::RTIES OVERLAPPING STATE --r------· -- -- -

STATE: CODE COUNTY

·--- ----STATE: CODE COUNTY

STATE: CODE COUNTY·

7 46 76 07 44

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OR COUNlY BOUNCrARlES !

CODE' j 1-----i

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FORM PREPARED BY ... -----NAME ANO TtTLE:

Michael Bourne, Cary Carson, and William Morgan ORGANIZATION DATE

Maryland Historical Trust July 19 I 1972 -----------

STREET ANO NUMBER:

2525 Riva Road -- ---

Cl TY OR TOWN: STATE CODE

Annapolis Mav land 21401 24 -- --- --···-··--·-··- -·-r--·-·--··· I 12. ST A TE LIAISON 0 Ff ICE R CE RT~_I C_A_1 _1 O~-----U---..:..N:.:..A:...:T...:.1.::.0.:..N.:..A~L:....:.:..R.::.E~G.:..:I S~T_:;E;;.;.R..;., ..:.V..:E:.:..R..:.l..:.F..:.IC;;.;.A..;.T;..l;..;;O..;.N;_.._---1

As the designated State Liaison Officer for tlw Na­

tional Historic Preservation Act of I <1c,•:, (Puhl ic I .aw

89-665), I he~eby nominate this propcn:.· for inclu.sion

in the National I~egister and certify tl:cit it has been

evaluat£~d according to the crit1.~nd ~1nd p:-Dcc1..tures set

forth Ly the !"ational Park Service. 1he recvmn,ended

level of significance of this nonunatto;i is:

National [_l State ["J Local XI

l/" j 11 ( j . () J '_) J " . _; i u Na me ' : '~ ~ ,_"\, \, '\ C. l l__',.___.:._____::_-::C:.:'::'.l_ __ _

Orl~ndo Ridout IV

Title State Liaison Officer for Maryland

Tbte July 21, 19 72 ----------

I hereby certify that this property i,; included in th.-

1\'..,tional f{egister.

Chiei1

Ofi1ce of ArTheology and Historic Prc.sC"rv<1tion

Date

ATTEST:

Kveper of Th~ Naiional Rt'f?isccr

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T-49 Form 10-3000 (July 1969)

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

STAT[_

~·---~~---~~~--~~~~

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES COUNTY

'Talbot INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM

FOR NPS USE ONLY

(Continuation Sheet) ENTRY NUMBER

(Number all entrlel!)

St. John's Chapel of St. Michael's Parish

9. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES, continued

St. Michael's Parish. Parish Register. Hall of Records, Annapolis, Maryland.

I

St. Michael's Parish. Vestry Minutes. Hall of Records, Anna­polis, Maryland.

Talbot County Land Records. Talbot County Courthouse, Easton, Maryland.

Talbot County Library, Easton, Maryland. Vertical file.

Upjohn, Everard. Richard Upjohn Architect and Churchman. ·iiew York: Columbia University Press, 1934.

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ST· JOlff • s CHAPEL

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MICHAEL BOURNE

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7-49

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