History of Christ Episcopal Church

There has been an Anglican church on the lands surrounding Christ Episcopal Church from as early as 1693. when it was established in the colony of Maryland by King William and Queen Mary. Construction began on the present Christ Episcopal Church building after a disastrous fire in 1882. Baltimore architect Charles E. Cassell designed the large Gothic Revival structure with green serpentine stone on a cruciform plan featuring magnificent stained glass windows by various artists including Tiffany of New York City. Christ Episcopal Church has been a significant part of the religious and political life of Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Christ Episcopal Church is a part of the Episcopal diocese of Easton. Learn more about our bishop and diocese here.

Our Churchyard

The churchyard has been a burial ground since the latter half of the seventeenth century. Some might be buried under the foundation of the present church building, including the Rev. Daniel Maynadier, Jr., the third rector of Christ Episcopal Church who served from 1765-1772.

Our church holds the earliest dated monuments in Dorchester County from Magdalen and William Stevens who died in 1678 and 1684. A descendant moved the stones to our churchyard in 1940 from a farm outside of town located on the banks of the Choptank River. In 1997, the stones were removed from the churchyard by a descendant, underwent restoration, and placed inside the church for safekeeping.

There are over 1549 lot holders in the churchyard with 119 whose monuments are marked as patriots and veterans from the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Spanish American War, Korea, World Wars I and II and Vietnam. To learn more about the history of our churchyard and building, visit this link.