By 1850, Oxford residents were tired of traveling the six miles out a dirt road to the White Marsh Episcopal Church in Hole in the Wall, in Trappe. So the town’s leading citizen at the time, General Tench Tilghman, grandson of Colonel Tench Tilghman, provided funds to build the first Protestant-Episcopal Church in Oxford. Being an Episcopalian, General Tilghman especially wanted the cadets at his Maryland Military Academy to have a local Episcopal Church to attend.
The beautiful stone church on this corner is Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. The neo-Gothic Revival granite structure was designed by Richard Upjohn (1802-1878) in 1853. The walls, built of granite, were brought by boat from Port Deposit, Maryland. The Church is located on the highest elevation in Oxford.
But soon after construction began, General Tilghman experienced financial losses and at the outset of the Civil War, work ceased. For 40 years, the Holy Trinity Church had vine-covered, partially constructed walls, no roof, no windows. It was quite a lovely “ruin,” reminiscent of an English ‘folly.” People held weddings, played games and picnicked on the lawn.
Finally, in 1899, local citizens decided to finish the job. The building was completed in 1903. But tragedy struck again. The interior and roof were gutted by a fire in 1945 but again restored, a little quicker this time, with new memorial stained glass windows and a Vissler Rowland organ. The roof is shaped like an inverted ship’s hull. The building is oriented like European cathedrals, with the large window over the altar facing east and the rose window facing west. Both are perfect for morning and evening services.
From the Church walk back to S. Morris St and on your right is a yellow building (Stop #33.)
