Trinity Episcopal Church

SW corner of German and Church Sts. It features a grey stone spire that rises high above the town. A Gothic Revival structure of native stone, it was completed in 1859 on the eastern end of the old Parade Grounds, where local militia drilled from the French and Indian War until the Civil War. After the Battle of Antietam, town clergymen, realizing their churches would be swamped with the wounded, agreed that one should remain open as “a house of prayer.” Because Trinity had just been consecrated in 1859, it was chosen. The church remained a dedicated place of worship, always open and providing services acceptable to both Union and Confederate troops and their sympathizers throughout the war. The Episcopal Chapel, on the back part of the lot, dates from 1870.

Trinity Episcopal Church was the first English Church (Anglican) in Shepherdstown, predating the incorporation of the town. The first church building was built in 1745 as a part of the Fredrick Parish in Winchester, Virginia. The building was a wooden structure, known as the “Old English Church.”[1] Another more permanent structure was built out of stone on the corner of High Street and Church Street in 1769. The building was known as “Mecklenburg Chapel,” “the building fell into disrepair because of neglect due to the disestablishment of the Anglican Church in Virginia. In 1815, the church building was renovated by the first vestry of the newly Saint Andrews Parish. In 1840 – 1842, the building was expanded, By the early 1800s it was known as Trinity Church.[2] In 1854, the church decided to build a new building on German Street because the 1842 renovations were now too small.

Reverend Dr. C. W. Andrews wanted to build a new church and led the movement to raise $10.000 for its construction. The current Trinity Episcopal Church was constructed from 1854-1859, and the building was consecrated by Bishop Johns on April 5th, 1859.[3] The Church almost housed the clock in McMurran Tower, but Rezin D. Shepherd recanted his gift, after he felt the Church failed to care for the clock. He decided to give the clock to the town instead. After the Battle of Antietam, Shepherdstown became one large hospital, but Trinity Church was designated the “community place of worship” and was not used as a hospital.[4]

The Chapel was built ten years after the church, and the Parish House Church School was built in 1906. The Stevens Organ is almost as old as Trinity Church, brought from a Rhode Island Church in 1972. It was renovated in 1990s, including the stenciled drawings on the pipes. In 2006, Trinity House was bought and renovated for offices and the Fellowship Hall was built to add more space for Sunday School, offices, and fellowship space.[5]

Harrah, Dianne. Houses of Worship. Wolf Run Studios. Accessed July 08, 2017. http://www.wolfrunstudio.com/PAGES/pg_hwp20.html. 

Our History. Trinity Episcopal Church. Accessed July 08, 2017. http://www.trinityshepherdstown.org/our-history/.