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 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.
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.