WAINWRIGHTS CHAPEL

DORCHESTER COUNTY HISTORY

WAINWRIGHT'S CHAPEL

Wainwright's Chapel is six miles below Vienna on Elliott Island Road

at Henry's Cross Roads. It is important to Dorchester's history because of

it's builder, the land it is on and the original structure. The piece of land

the chapel sit's on was once a part of Weston.

An April 9, 1833 Dorchester deed names John Stewart, Fisher

Evans, Major Lewis II, James Rawley, Joe Stewart, John Marshall and

Alfred M Lewis I, as trustees of a chapel for the Methodist Episcopal

Church, for a lot at or near Henry's Crossroads, on the Nanticoke, for the

express purpose of erecting and keeping a preaching house, sold by

John Campbell Henry, the only living son of Governor John Henry.

This chapel was built and standing before Wainwright's Chapel was built,

and later burned to the ground in 1878 or so.

Almost before the fire embers died out, Jesse Wainwright , began building, “ his church “ , always known thereafter as Wainwrights Chapel.

Services were held at Wainwrights in 1886 a document tells us. In 1953,

due to the few remaining members, services were discontinued on a regular

basis.

The 1967 owner, Powell Horseman, Lewis Wharf and Henry's Crossroad

resident, bought the chapel at public auction in 1953, after everything

not nailed down was removed and sold. The “pews ' , pine flat benches,

some with backs, were once in the Crossroad store.

At the public sale a Negro preacher Mcdowell, placed the winning bid, but

was unable financially able to pay the cost of the bid, so Powell Horseman

took it over.

In the 1900's the appearance of the church was remembered . The Pulpit

sat on a raised platform at the south most end of the chapel, an Alter in front

of the platform, with a pedestal on the platform for the preacher to use.

The church front doors were at the north end of the building, each door

opened to an aisles leading to the alter. Between these aisles were the

pews. An old pump organ furnished the music.

The church had at it best, maybe 70 members, from Hurleys Neck to

Crafts Neck Road , and Drawbridge people every other Sunday. Sunday

School was held in the mornings and church services, preaching, was in

the afternoon.

Wainwright's Chapel held revivals, lasting a week or more, funeral services,

programs such as children's day, and, church dinners and oyster feast.

The church dinners were cooked outside on five small wood stoves

attended by Negro cooks, with menus of beef, mutton, chicken and

'eysters', crab's, relishes, jelly and bread, home made, coffee, then pies

and cakes with soft drinks, like 'cool aid ' . All you could eat, 50 cents.

The good ole days.

Wainwright's last held a boat building shop, the structure is 24 ' wide x

34' long with six windows.

With the old building there hangs an unanswered question, Why did

Wainwright build the building by himself and where did he get the money

to do so ?

Abstract 2018 by Harrison H from Brice Neil Stump's “Between the

Blackwater and the Nanticoke “ 1967.