St. Peter's Church

St. Peter's Church is the third building on this site. It was first built as a chapel on a two-acre site, completed in 1772 at a cost of 600 English pounds and measuring 45 feet by 65 feet, and was known to many as Head of River Chapel or Salisbury Chapel. By 1789 it had fallen into disrepair, and some of the property was sold to rebuild it, land that now corresponds with today's downtown Salisbury. The rebuilt church and much of Salisbury were destroyed by fire in 1860. A second St. Peter's Church was erected in 1862, with a rose window and other Romanesque touches, and its deep-toned bell served as the town's fire alarm. On Sunday, October 17, 1886, as the bell was calling the evening service, fire broke out in a livery stable in Salisbury, and the church and most of Salisbury were again destroyed. The third and present St. Peter's was completed in 1887 and held its first service, the Holy Eucharist, at 6AM on Christmas Day, 1887. A triptych stands above the alter, with Our Lord in the center panel, St. Mary and St. John at his side, and St. Peter and St. Paul on the side panels, with Moses and the apostles at the base.

Salisbury, Maryland · United States