Mt.
Savage was no more than a little hamlet at the turn of the
century; but, by 1825 had become a village of some note. In 1839 the
Iron Works were erected by an Englishman, Mr. Howell, and several
other English capitalists. This new manufacturing company had the
distinction of rolling the first iron rail in America. Many
managers and staff for this new enterprise hailed from Europe.
These
Europeans held their first Episcopal church services at the Iron
Works. Several historical records refer to the use of a Machine
Shop for services, others refer to a Pattern House. John H. Kehler
was the first minister to serve these people, quite like a
missionary. Records place him as assistant to Rev. Hillhouse
Buell at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Cumberland. Mr. Kehler was
a former Lutheran minister who had requested commission as a
candidate for orders in the Episcopal Church. We know that Rev.
Kehler missed a regularly scheduled service in Mt. Savage on August 22,
1841, because of his own ordination by Bishop Whittingham in
Cumberland. Two days later, the Bishop visited the congregation
in Mt. Savage and held services in the Pattern House.
It
was in May of 1841 that the Episcopalian families of Mt. Savage,
having worshiped and gathered many times, felt it important to
meet and elect a vestry. This vestry sent application to the convention
of 1841 to be recognized and be received into union with the
convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church of Maryland.
On
June 27, 1841, a Sunday School was organized after morning
services. On July 11, 1841, Rev. Kehler addressed the Sunday
School commencement. There were 45 scholars and 10 teachers in
attendance. The average attendance, according to records, was 100
scholars and 12-15 teachers.
In 1845, the Episcopal congregation in Mt. Savage was granted
land from the Maryland and New York Iron and Coal Company to erect
a church. In a parochial report in 1845, Rev. Kehler, signing
himself missionary, announced that Christ Church (the name the
church used at that time) had begun work on erecting an Episcopal
Church, dimensions 45x26, cost = $1,000. The new church was
consecrated by Bishop Whittingham on October 12, 1845. At this
point, the name of Christ Church Parish was dropped and the name
St George's Church was selected.
This
building stood until 1903, when the Standing committee of the
Diocese gave its consent for the destruction of the church built in
1845, in order that a new church might be erected on the same
site. The last service in the old church was held by Rev. Dr.
Nott on the morning of Sunday, April 26, 1903, and on Tuesday
following, demolition of the old structure, so dear to many
hearts, was begun. The tower containing the bell, which since 1850 had
called the people to worship, was separated from the building and
attached to the front of the Sunday School building.
The
cornerstone for the new church was laid on June 6, 1903, by
Bishop Paret, and the church was consecrated on October 13, 1908.
Services in the new church were to have begun on Easter Sunday,
1904, but due to the sudden death on March 8th of Rev. Theophilus
Smoot, the first service was postponed until a new Rector was
chosen. This large Gothic Church of stone and brick is the one we
know and love today.
The
old Sunday School was torn down and a new Parish House was built
by the men of the parish during the rectorship of Rev. J. W.
Torkington, D.D., with work being completed by May 15, 1924.
A
stone bell tower was added to the church in 1952. This project
was under the direction of the Rev. G. Stanley Schwind, and once
again, much volunteer labor from the parish was used. Near the
top of the tower is a row of native stone. There is a stone from
each state of the union. Also made of stone is the Chapel of the
Resurrection. On may 27, 1978, the Bell Tower and the Parish
House were rededicated. The tower was dedicated to Father Schwind,
and the parish House was dedicated to Rev. Dr. Torkington.
St. George's Church proudly celebrated the 150th anniversary of an Episcopal presence in Mt. Savage in 1990.
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