Good Shepherd Church Bell - Chesapeake City, MD - Bells on Waymarking.com

Taken from the website, "Augustine Parish has two
separate churches: the
Church of the Good Shepherd
located in south Chesapeake
City and St. Augustine Church on MD Route 310,
approximately 3 miles south of Chesapeake City. Both
locations are used alternately for worship and related
church matters.

St. Augustine Church, originally called the Manor Chapel,
was one of the 30 churches paying tithes to the Bishop
of London in 1690. It was the place of worship for the
early settlers of Bohemia Manor, an estate of several
thousand acres granted to Augustine Herman by Lord
Baltimore in 1660.

In 1733, the Vestry voted to raise funds of 55,000
pounds of tobacco for the building of a new Manor Chapel
to be built "at or near the place where the old Chap el
now stands." On that date, Augustine Parish was
formed, embracing "all that land between the Elk and
Bohemia Rivers."

The first church was a brick building with a hipped roof
and a heavy wooden cornice around the four sides. An
old log Vestry room stood as a separate structure, and
the cemetery was located around these buildings. The
Vestry room had an enormous fireplace across one end
and was used as a school. It was still being used in
1816. Now only a depression in the ground marks the
spot.

Augustine Parish, like large numbers of former Anglican
parishes, lost vitality and influence after the
Revolutionary War. Many of its members joined other
churches, especially the new, thriving Methodist
Episcopal denomination which was, and still is, a leading
influence.

By the early 1800's, the old church was starting to fall
apart. Vandals removed shutters and doors. It was
even used as a stable by a neighbor. Then the bricks
were taken and only the arch of the chancel remained.
During this time some services were held in the Vestry
building.


There seems to be no record which gives the date of
when the church was erected. It is known that a frame
church was built in the 1830's consisting of a plain Doric
style with three large windows at either side and two
windows and entrance at the west end. The inside was
still simple and colonial atmosphere with box stalls.
In 1829, the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal became
operational; the town of Chesapeake City grew out of
Bohemia Village. The first period of real prosperity for
the Canal Company and the town was during the Civil
War. Following that time, substantial homes were built
in the town, and there was a tendency for the prominent
families to leave the farms in the area for the city. For
these reasons, the Church of the Good Shepherd was
built in Chesapeake City and dedicated on March 29,
1883. Good Shepherd was named the parish church in
1887.

Augustine Parish played an active part in the community,
and its rectors generally were shared with neighboring
parishes. In the 1920's there was a surge of popularity in
the community for local theatricals. Mr. and Mrs. James
Adams of the Adams Floating Theater had retired to
Chesapeake City. Under Mr. Adam's leadership, the
Parish House was built with a stage and dressing rooms.
It became a center for youth groups as well as the first
community hall in the town.

In the 1930's, there was a decline in membership; most
services were evening prayer. During World War II the
church was closed, except for the annual visit of the
Bishop. After the war the church was reopened with a
shared minister from St. Mary Anne's in North East.
During this period the stage area in the Parish House was
converted to a kitchen. The dressing rooms were
converted to rest rooms. Fundraisers were held there
including public suppers, bazaars, and card parties.

For the first half of this century, the St. Augustine church
fell into disuse. For many years only one service was
held there annually. In 1962, the Society for the
Preservation and Restoration of Old St. Augustine was
formed. Money was raised and many historic items were
donated. Its purpose was to restore the Church to a
period that would coincide with the lifetime of Augustine
Herman, who was born in Prague in the early part of the
seventeenth century. Augustine Herman came to this
area after he received a generous land grant from the
founders of Maryland. He was the first naturalized
citizen of the colony.

The restoration was quite extensive, as the entire
underpinning of the church was gone due to termite
damage. The Green Fingers Garden Club landscaped the
grounds. Kneelers were needlepointed by members of
the parish. A Reiger pipe organ made in Reiger, Austria,
was installed. A few years later, a two-story log cabin
was donated to the parish and erected a short distance
from St. Augustine Church. This building is an historic
log cabin of similar age to the original log cabin and was
moved from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to its
current location. This vestry House contains a meeting
room, office for the Rector and a room for Sunday
School. Crewel curtains were designed and worked by a
parish member.

Good Shepherd Church was refurbished in the 1980's
and 1990's. Coverings were given to provide protection
to the stained glass windows. An Allen theatrical organ
was purchased to enhance our music program.
Substantial work was done to restore the Parish House.
The kitchen was updated adding commercial grade
appliances. A Rector's study was added."

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