Old Wye Church

Since 1721 Old Wye Church has been standing on a pleasant site beside the Queenstown-Easton road. It was originally a part of St. Paul’s Parish, Centreville, one of the thirteen Establishment Act parishes of 1692. The present Wye Parish was created in 1859 out of the original St. Paul’s Parish.

The restoration of Old Wye Church was made possible through the efforts of members of Wye Parish, including Arthur A. Houghton, Jr., and was guided by the architectural firm of Perry, Shaw and Hepburn of Boston, Massachusetts, which had also directed the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. At the time the church was restored, the Vestry House was reconstructed on it’s original site from original drawings, and a parish house and rectory were built. Starting in 1947, William G. Perry, senior partner of the firm, personally supervised the restoration efforts at Old Wye. A service of rededication took place on July 13, 1949.

Vestry notes from 1723 record how the church appeared when it was built in 1721, describing the box pews, the pulpit, the reader’s and clerk’s desks, and many other details. The Palladian window behind the altar and the Royal Arms on the gallery are included in a sketch of the original interior. The kneeling cushions at the communion rail are the handiwork of

Pulpit in Old Wye Santuary

five women parishioners skilled in the art of petit point. Mr. Perry said that more information was available for the Old Wye restoration than for any building in Colonial Williamsburg. Parishioners and visitors alike realize that Old Wye has come to us as a hallowed trust, fulfilling the vision of generous and dedicated people who have assured its continuity as a place of worship.

Front Lawn of St. Luke's Chapel

Interior of St.Luke's

St. Luke’s Chapel

The history of St. Luke’s Chapel begins in 1692 with the establishment of St. Paul’s Parish in Centreville. In 1859, the present Wye Parish was established as an independent parish because the 20 by 25-mile size of St. Paul’s Parish taxed the ability of a single vestry to meet the needs of the entire area. Wye Parish contains two churches – Old Wye Church,  in Wye Mills and St. Luke’s Chapel, in Queenstown.

As St. Luke’s Chapel was being constructed in 1839, William H. D. Wright of Blakewood presented the bell to the church. Mr. Wright was the U.S. Counsel to Brazil. The bell, originally cast in Portugal, was moved from a monastery there to Brazil during a time of conflict between the crown and the church. The bell has a high silver content, which accounts for its magnificent ringing tone. Although the date of original manufacture is unknown, it is documented that the bell was recast in 1746 and 1894. St. Luke’s Chapel was consecrated in 1842 and the bell has sounded the call to worship since 1844.

St. Luke’s Chapel in Queenstown was described as “a very neat and commodious frame edifice.” The rectors of St. Paul’s Parish served the congregations of both St. Luke’s and Old Wye until 1859, when Wye Parish was created. After 50 years of service

and a fire of undetermined origin, St. Luke’s Chapel was in need of repairs and renovation. In 1890 the building was reconstructed, and it is assumed that the stained glass windows were part of the renovation.

In 1989 an adjoining Parish House was constructed, providing much needed space for Sunday School and congregational gatherings.

The chapel of St. Luke’s, which the vestry at one time had considered closing, has now become a growing center of worship.

A Wye Timeline

1694 – St. Paul’s Parish vestry records begin: long-serving Rev. John Lillingstone is rector, Old Wye Church is one of three “chapels of ease” in the Parish

1721 – Newly-constructed Old Wye opens on St. Luke’s Day, October 18, replacing the “old Church” at the head of Wye River

1729 – St. Luke’s Parish (Church Hill) divided off from St. Paul’s Parish

1748 – St. John’s Parish (Tuckahoe) divided off from St. Paul’s Parish

1762 – Vestry House at Old Wye constructed

c. 1765 – West Gallery at Old Wye discussed, finally constructed in 1792 (?)

1779 – First meeting of non-established vestry of St. Paul’s Parish

1794 – First use of collection plate in St. Paul’s Parish

1796-1804 – Rev. Elisha Rigg: teaches school to eke out a living, buried in the chancel at Old Wye

1810 – St. Paul’s Parish down to “the faithful fourteen” communicants

1836 – Old Wye in disrepair, regular services no longer held

1839 – “Bell of Portugal” (1746) donated for proposed new chapel of ease in Queenstown

1842 – St. Luke’s Chapel, Queenstown, consecrated

1854 – Old Wye repaired, at initiative of Bishop Whittingham and St. Paul’s vestry

1860 – Wye Parish divided off from St. Paul’s Parish; Rectory built at Old Wye

1896-1907 -- Rev. Algernon Battle: Rectory at Old Wye burns down, new Rectory built in Queenstown

1910 – Regular services at Old Wye again discontinued

1949 – Old Wye restored and rededicated; Vestry House, long vanished, reconstructed

1952 – Rectory built at Old Wye; deed of property from neighbor doubles size of Old Wye churchyard

1959 – Old Wye Parish Hall constructed

1982 – Columbarium built, expanded in 1998

1989 – St. Luke’s Parish Hall constructed