Erected in 1732 at the cost of 140,000 pounds of tobacco, the "church on the hill" is the oldest intact brick church in the state and gave the town its name. In 1861, Union cavalry reportedly destroyed the interior of the church, but two wooden tablets lettered in gold survived. An 1880 restoration hid the early brick core beneath a Gothic exterior. The small brick building on the grounds was built in 1817 as St. Luke's "parish academy" and is said to be the oldest school in Queen Anne's County. St. Luke's Episcopal Church is on the National Register of Historic Places.