Welcome to St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church

High above Harpers Ferry and overlooking the Shenandoah River, St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church has stood since 1830 as an important link to Catholic heritage in West Virginia, tied to the history of the church in the state, the Civil War, and one of its oldest towns. It was associated with several prominent pioneers of the Catholic Church in West Virginia and America as parishioners, missionaries, or pastors, and became the focal point for major events including John Brown’s Raid and the Civil War. During John Brown’s Raid on October 16-19, 1859, abolitionists came to Harper’s Ferry at night, seized the United States Armoury, Rifle Works, and Arsenal while the town slept, took prisoners the next morning, and exchanged fire with armed citizens who resisted them. Rev. Costello recalled being allowed through the insurgents to attend a mortally wounded Catholic citizen, administer the last Sacraments, and remain with him until he died soon after.

Lovettsville, Maryland · United States