Mountaineer Fernweh

  In the heart of midtown Baltimore at the corner of St. Paul and Chase, the scaffolding around the church has been up sufficiently long enough that some long time residents have forgotten when it wasn't there. I can't even quite name the building that it encloses: is it the former Christ Church, the former New Refuge Deliverance Cathedral, or the still fledgling New Life Evangelical Church of Olivet Assembly, who  bought the building at auction in 2021 ?  What we do know is that the scaffold was placed there to protect the pedestrians walking by.  The church is a safety hazard. After years of battles with the city over code violations and fines, New Refuge agreed to sell the building in 2019.  The first auction sought over $1 million, and failed to find a buyer. The second auction brought in $550,000, a fairly meagre sum for a large Mount Vernon property. The buyer, Olivet Assembly, promised to remove the scaffolding by the end of 2021 and install a new, thrivi...

  In prior Church Series posts I documented two churches that have been preserved or restored to their Colonial-era appearance. In this post, we look at a building that dates to 1743, but whose layers of history carry into the 1970's. St. Thomas Church, Garrison Forest, was created from St. Paul's Parish of Baltimore City as a chapel of ease in 1742. Saint Paul's was 12 miles to the southeast, and the parish boundaries of the time included most of what is now Baltimore County. With a growing population to the northwest, it was believed a new house of worship was needed. By 1745, a new church had been erected and granted parish status.   St. Thomas was built of brick imported from England, constructed in a Flemish bond pattern that was typical of the time. Originally a 56' x 36' structure, the original interior included box pews, a pulpit on the north wall, and small chancel on the east end. The windows of leaded glass have largely been preserved, though the structur...

  Many of Virginia's colonial parish churches have not survived the ravages of time and war, but there are notable exceptions. One of them is Aquia Church in northern Stafford County, just off of US 1 and I 95, a piece of time whose simplicity and light bring a tranquil calm, a calm not always known in her long history. Aquia Church, Overwharton Parish was founded in 1667 when Stafford County was formed out of Westmoreland. Two buildings preceded the present one,  which was constructed between 1751-57 by Mourning Richards (Architect) and William Copein (Master Mason). It is notable for its unique combination of Flemish brick bond pattern and locally quarried Aquia stone, built in a strict Greek cross design, and a tower added at a later (unknown) date. The former two characteristics can only be found elsewhere in Virginia at nearby St. Paul's, King George (also founded in 1667, but the present building was constructed about ten years later), but the tower with this plan make i...

  The Alleghenies are a sub-range of the Appalachian Mountains, running north-to-south from central Pennsylvania to southern West Virginia.  It west of the Ridge-and-Valley range that runs along the VA-WV line, and includes some of the highest points in the Appalachian range. One of those points, Hoye-Crest, is notable not so much for its height in the over all range but as the highest point in Maryland. At 3,360 feet, it sits more than 1000 feet lower than its counterparts in Virginia and West Virginia, and is located on publicly accessible private property in the southwest corner of Garrett County, Maryland. This trip is for the moderately adventuresome, as it is a tough, steep mile long climb that is not easy to find. In order to access the trailhead, you must drive to a remote area along US 219, about nine miles north of Thomas, West Virginia. Parking is available along the side of the road, though you will need to be cautious for traffic as the area is not parkland and th...

  Delmarva is a kayaking paradise, with hundreds of miles of fresh, brackish, and salt water trails available to explore. Beginning at Cambridge,  Blackwater Adventures  offers kayak rentals at the Hyatt Chesapeake Bay resort and, further inland, at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.  The wildlife sighting possibilities at both locations are rich, including the osprey nest above. Call ahead to check reservations at the Blackwater site, which is relatively remote.  If you have your own Kayak, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has  paddle trails  and interactive maps available on their website.   The beaches of Delaware and Maryland have numerous kayaking opportunities.   Coastal Kayak  is located across Delaware Highway 1 from Delaware Beaches State Park, and offers opportunities for exploration in the Little Assawoman Bay.  Further south, the 67th Street Paddle Cove , Odyssea Waterpsorts , and  48th Street Wate...

The Delmarva Peninsula is home to some of America's oldest religious sites, several of which are in ruins or no longer in regular use as churches.  This is particularly true for Anglican parish churches, which were formally established in Maryland no later than 1692, but were subject to replacement as population centers shifted.  Constructed in a Flemish brick bond pattern, these sacred spaces are among the last connections to early American history, where the objectives of colonists were largely monetary, slavery was a primary means of labor, and the church provided one of the few places of spiritual and emotional nourishment in a very hard life. White Marsh Parish Ruins Near Trappe Visible from Route 50 in Talbot County, Maryland, south of Easton, stand the ruins of St. Peter's, White Marsh Parish.   The oldest parts of the ruin date to the 17th century; the church was enlarged in 1751, fell into increasing disuse after 1850, and burned while being prepared for ser...

Living history in an historic church. South entrance and east chancel of Old Trinity, Church Creek An off-the-main-road stop on the way to the beach, Old Trinity Church ranks as one of the oldest sacred spaces in use in the United States.  (It is most likely the oldest east of the Mississippi.)  Built around 1675, it has endured to house a living congregation to the present day. According to the parish website , the church was restored to its 17th century appearance from 1953-1960.  At that time the Victorian renovation a century prior was undone; the original floors were discovered and repaired, walls reinforce, and new box pews and a pulpit were created from 200 year old heart of pine wood.  While a recreation of the original, it is stunningly beautiful in conception and liturgical use. Approaching the church, one walks from the parking area near the parish house through-centuries old graves.  These include Anna Ella Carroll,  reputedly one o...