St. Thomas Manor (1741) is a historic home and

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church complex located near

Port Tobacco Port Tobacco, officially Port Tobacco Village, is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 13 at the 2010 census, making Port Tobacco the smallest incorporated town in Maryland. Overview This was historically the te ...

Charles County, Maryland Charles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. T ...

. Known as St. Ignatius Church and Cemetery, the manor house complex is the oldest continuously occupied

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

residence in the world. The mission settlement of Chapel Point was established in 1641 by Father

Andrew White Andrew White may refer to: *Andrew White (Australian politician) (1859–1936) *Andrew White (basketball) (born 1993), American basketball player *Andrew White (Irish cricketer) (born 1980), Irish cricketer, played for Northamptonshire and for Ire ...

, S.J., an English Jesuit missionary. Father White ministered to the Potapoco Native Americans, some of whom he converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Established in 1662, this is the oldest continuously active

parish in the American

Thirteen Colonies The Thirteen Colonies were the British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America which broke away from the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and joined to form the United States of America. The Thirteen C ...

. With the consecration in 1794 of Bishop John Carroll, St. Thomas became the first Catholic see in the United States.

Description

The house is a two-story, seven-bay, brick structure of

Georgian architecture Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs of the House of Han ...

, of

Flemish bond Flemish bond is a pattern of brickwork that is a common feature in Georgian architecture. The pattern features bricks laid lengthwise (''stretchers'') alternating with bricks laid with their shorter ends exposed (''headers'') within the same cou ...

construction. The mansion is the oldest surviving example of the

Georgian style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover, George I, George II, Ge ...

in Maryland. The manor house was built in 1741 as the headquarters of the Maryland

Mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

of the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

, replacing an earlier structure. It served as the Superior's and later the Provincial's official residence. This house was also the nucleus of other missions in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

and the

mid-Atlantic region The Mid-Atlantic is a region of the United States located in the overlap between the nation's Northeastern and Southeastern states. Traditional definitions include seven U.S. states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virgi ...

. Connected to the manor house stands a two-story brick wing that incorporates a former chapel built in 1798, now called St. Ignatius Church. Outbuildings are also significant, including a small, mid-19th century wood-frame

slaves Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

' quarter, "one of remarkably few such buildings to survive in this area." In addition, the former corn crib is the "largest structure of its type recorded in Charles County, and one that exhibits many construction features not represented elsewhere." Chapel Point2

A cemetery lies to the west of the manor house and church. Notable parishioners are buried there, including

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

agent

Olivia Floyd Anne Olivia Floyd (July 2, 1826 – December 8, 1905) was a Confederate spy during the American Civil War, noted as a blockade runner. Early life and education Anne Olivia Floyd, known as Olivia, was the daughter of David I. and Sarah (Semmes) Floy ...

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...

benefactor

Adrian Posey Adrian Posey (October 14, 1857 – July 2, 1922) was an American politician, attorney, businessman and newspaper publisher from Charles County, Maryland. Early life Born at Mount Pleasant, the Posey family farm near Allens Fresh, Adrian Posey was ...

, judge

Walter M. Digges Walter Mitchell Digges (February 17, 1877 – October 5, 1934) was an American lawyer, judge, and delegate in the Maryland General Assembly in Maryland, United States. He was a member of the Democratic Party, and served as a Justice of the state ...

, and U.S. Congressmen, Sydney Emanuel Mudd and

Sydney Emanuel Mudd II Sydney Emanuel Mudd II (June 20, 1885 – October 11, 1924) was an American attorney and politician from Maryland's 5th congressional district, elected to several terms as a U.S. Representative in Congress, dying in office. He was a Republica ...

. St. Thomas Manor was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1988. Due to its history and scenic waterfront setting, the manor grounds, church and cemetery attract visitors from distant places. They make up a favorite rest-stop for many bicycle tour groups.

Additional significance

In 1794 it was at St. Thomas Manor that John Carroll was invested in his robes as the first Catholic bishop of the United States of America, after the nation gained independence in the Revolutionary War. (He later traveled to London for official

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

as a bishop by the

Vicar Apostolic A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

.) This investiture established St. Thomas as the first Catholic see in the United States. The St. Thomas complex was also the site of the revival of the Jesuit order in the United States in 1805, after it had been suppressed by the Catholic Church in 1773. Three American priests took their vows at St. Ignatius Church. Some of the slaves owned by the Jesuit Maryland Province resided at St. Thomas Manor. They were among the 272 sold in 1838. In a letter, William McSherry, S.J. estimated that the sale of the enslaved persons would amount to approximately $16,000 . The Maryland Province Jesuits opposed the

slave trade Slave trade may refer to: * History of slavery - overview of slavery It may also refer to slave trades in specific countries, areas: * Al-Andalus slave trade * Atlantic slave trade ** Brazilian slave trade ** Bristol slave trade ** Danish sl ...

, but not slavery in practice.

Catholic Church and Indian records

During the years of

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

and after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, when most southern governments classified people as only black or white in a binary system related to the racial caste of slavery, St. Ignatius was among the Catholic parishes that continued to record their Native congregational members as Indian, regardless of whether they were of

mixed race The term multiracial people refers to people who are mixed with two or more races and the term multi-ethnic people refers to people who are of more than one ethnicities. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mul ...

. In colonial and United States records, by contrast, the tribal identities of some Native Americans were lost when they were classified by outsiders as

free people of color In the context of the history of slavery in the Americas, free people of color (; ) were primarily people of mixed African, European, and Native American descent who were not enslaved. However, the term also applied to people born free who we ...

, "colored," or "white," regardless of how they identified ethnically. Research in Catholic records has helped some tribes document their continuous cultural history and identification as Native American, and to gain state and federal recognition as tribes since the late 20th century.Merrell, James H. "Cultural Continuity Among the Piscataway Indians of Colonial Maryland." ''William & Mary Quarterly'', 3rd series, 36 (1979): 548-70

Gallery

Image:St Thomas Manor Historic Marker Sept 09.JPG, St. Thomas Manor, Historic Marker, September 2009 Image:StIgnatius 20110626.jpg, St. Thomas Manor, St. Ignatius Church, June 26, 2011. Image:StIgnatiusSign 20110626.jpg, Explanatory sign at St. Thomas Manor, St. Ignatius Church, June 26, 2011.

References

External links