All Hallows' Church
Encyclopedia
All Hallows Church, also known as The Brick Church, is an historic church located at 3604 Solomon's Island Road, in Edgewater, Anne Arundel County
, Maryland
, United States
.
The church is a low, rectangular Flemish bond
brick structure with a hip roof
. The building was constructed about 1710 as the parish church of All Hallows' or South River Parish, now called All Hallows Parish, South River. The interior was gutted by fire in 1727. After modernizations in 1825 and 1885, a 1940 reconstruction restored it to its 1710 appearance.
The ancient cemetery, shaded by a grove of oak trees, surrounds the church. It contains the graves of Provincial Justice, Deputy-Governor and Lord High Sherriff of Anne Arundel Colonel William Burgess (1622–1686), who donated 100 acres of his lands for the establishment of Londontowne, and among the descendants of pioneer planter/politician Colonel Nicholas Gassaway
, his son the Lord High Sherriff Captain Thomas Gassaway (1683–1739) amidst whose plantations the church itself was built.
The bell in the rustic tower bears the date 1727. The parish records date back to 1682, indicating that it existed prior to the Act of Establishment (1692) passed by the General Assembly of Maryland laying off the Province into 30 Anglican parishes.
All Hallows' Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1969.
All Hallows Parish, South River, is still an active parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland
. In addition to the Brick Church, it has a chapel at 864 West Central Avenue, in Davidsonville
. The Rev. Alistair So is the current rector.
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The church is a low, rectangular Flemish bond
Brickwork
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar to build up brick structures such as walls. Brickwork is also used to finish corners, door, and window openings, etc...
brick structure with a hip roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
. The building was constructed about 1710 as the parish church of All Hallows' or South River Parish, now called All Hallows Parish, South River. The interior was gutted by fire in 1727. After modernizations in 1825 and 1885, a 1940 reconstruction restored it to its 1710 appearance.
The ancient cemetery, shaded by a grove of oak trees, surrounds the church. It contains the graves of Provincial Justice, Deputy-Governor and Lord High Sherriff of Anne Arundel Colonel William Burgess (1622–1686), who donated 100 acres of his lands for the establishment of Londontowne, and among the descendants of pioneer planter/politician Colonel Nicholas Gassaway
Nicholas Gassaway
Colonel Nicholas Gassaway was a colonial military and political leader and justice in early Maryland. He is also notable for having originated the family name Gassaway , as a variant of his father Thomas Gaswaie’s family name...
, his son the Lord High Sherriff Captain Thomas Gassaway (1683–1739) amidst whose plantations the church itself was built.
The bell in the rustic tower bears the date 1727. The parish records date back to 1682, indicating that it existed prior to the Act of Establishment (1692) passed by the General Assembly of Maryland laying off the Province into 30 Anglican parishes.
All Hallows' Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1969.
All Hallows Parish, South River, is still an active parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland
Episcopal Diocese of Maryland
The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland forms part of Province 3 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It is made up of the northern and central Maryland counties of Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, and Washington...
. In addition to the Brick Church, it has a chapel at 864 West Central Avenue, in Davidsonville
Davidsonville, Maryland
Davidsonville is an unincorporated community in central Anne Arundel County, Maryland, USA. It is a semi-rural community composed mostly of farms and suburban-like developments and is a good example of an "exurb." Davidsonville has relatively little commercial development and no high-density housing...
. The Rev. Alistair So is the current rector.
External links
- All Hallows' Church, Anne Arundel County, including photo from 1966, at Maryland Historical Trust
- All Hallows' Parish website
- All Hallows Church, All Hallows Church Road & State Route 2, Davidsonville vicinity, Anne Arundel County, MD: 4 drawings, 11 photos and 2 data pages, at Historic American Building Survey