June 21st, 2015
Sundays are days of worship, but on this Sunday as the tragedy in Charleston, South Carolina, is still fresh in our minds and hearts, it is also a day for reflection.
Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church is the First Church in the First Town in the First State. It is located at 2nd & Market Streets in Lewes, DE 19958 Tel. 302-645-8479 Website? http://www.stpeterslewes.org
You can imagine how surprised my friend, Cindi, was when I asked her if she wanted to walk around The Churchyard at Saint Peter’s. After all, I had invited her to Lewes to spend the day celebrating her birthday. Graveyard? Birthday? That was not on the agenda, so she thought.
This is a historic Church. It is beautiful in its simplicity. It is an Episcopal Church. The doors of the Church are open 24 hours a day, providing a sanctuary in Lewes for spiritual reflection, meditation, and prayer. I love a totally quiet church. I enjoy visiting them to catch a quiet moment away from all the news and the hectic world we live in. I am in awe of their beauty and strength.
Saint Peter’s Parish was founded in 1681. The original church building was finished in 1724, sat in front of the current structure. A second church, consecrated in September 1808, had a small bell tower. The bell rings every Sunday announcing their services from that tower.
The building in which services are held today was constructed from 1854 to 1858. A steeple was added in 1870 and the Sacristy was added in 1903-4.
Among Saint Peter’s historical possessions are the communion table used in the original church of 1724, a prayer book showing the changes made after the War of Independence, and a silver communion service given by John Penn, grandson of William Penn, on June 10, 1773.
As Cindi and I started to walk the Churchyard her attitude changed completely…from total perplexity to inquisitiveness. She saw other visitors walking around, reading the tombstones.
In addition to the Churchyard, Saint Peter’s owns the oldest cemetery in the state of Delaware. The Pilottown Cemetery was the site of the first western settlement in what is now Delaware. Some of the early colonists are interred there on Pilottown Rd.
The most noteworthy graves are marked and there is information for you to follow them.
The oldest tombstone is the one from Margaret Huling. #17 This is what the inscription says: Here lyeth ye body of Margaret ye widow of James Huling who desert Febry ye 16th in ye 76th yeare of her Age 1707 Born 1631.
The second oldest is #18. It also belongs to the Huling family. It says: Huling mARTHA HIS WIFE deCEST FEBRY YE 1708 IN YE 8TH YEAR of HER AGE. There is a portion of the stone broken so the whole inscription cannot be read.
The Labyrinth – It is an ancient symbol found in many traditions around the world. It is not a maze. It only has one path with no tricks or dead ends. You are not to solve a puzzle, which creates anxiety. The Labyrinth shoud lead us to the Source of our solutions, creating peace. And God knows, we need peace.
Walking a labyrinth becomes a metaphor for spiritual journey. It is used as a form of walking meditation or contemplative prayer. The Labyrinth helps us find inner peace. It welcomes those of all faith traditions and those with no traditions at all.
There is no right or wrong way to walk the Labyrinth. With only one path in….follow it and you will arrive at the center. Each walk is unique. You may want to take a moment to breath deeply and focus on an intention for your walk.
The center is a place of meditation and prayer. As you can see visitors leave some offerings.
Stop by and discover. Have a good one!!
October 24th, 2014
For the past couple of years every time the end of October approaches I start thinking about Delmarva Historic Haunts. I wanted to go on one of the haunts…..Lewes is the perfect town for such an experience. Aren’t you curious?
Lewes is The First Town in The First State. It was founded in 1631 and then incorporated in 1883. That makes it Delaware’s oldest settlement. Its history is on display throughout various historic buildings in Downtown Lewes.
We are meeting Delmarva Historic Haunts, http://www.delmarvahistorichaunts.com at 10:15 p.m. at the Lewes Historical Society Complex….at the Schoolhouse. The haunt will begin at 10:30 p.m. There is another “haunt” at 7 p.m. but I think the later one will be bone-chilling! Yikes!
I am dragging a few of my usual suspects. They are always game for something outside of their box.
I cannot help to think of Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church located at Mulberry St. and Second St. The parish was established in 1681 and the original building was completed in 1724…..This church has the oldest cemetery in the State. The graveyard is a snapshop of time.
The 2 oldest graves are by the corner and against the wall of the church. The graves connect the past with the present.
The Labyrinths at St. Peter’s are a path of peace.
So will it bone-chilling or not? I will just have to let you know!!
Note: An affiliate of NBC News will be filming on Saturday at this event. You can find Delmarva Historic Haunst on Facebook.
October 15th, 2013
I think I am curious, definitely…The First Town in The First State!! So much history, connecting the past with the present.
The Lewes Historical Society, http://www.historiclewes.org, will be hosting Delmarva Historic Haunts, http://www.delmarvahistorichaunts.com, to explore the curious happenings in Historic Lewes, Delaware. You do not have to walk far to be immersed in the history of Lewes.
On 2nd and Market Streets you will find Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church. The Parish was established in 1681 and it does have the oldest cemetery in Delaware. You can visit the cemetery….plenty of visitors do.
You will have 2 opportunities to investigate paranormal activities in Historic Lewes. The schedule is as follows:
Saturday, 10/19 – 2 times to choose from. Either 7 p.m. until 10 p.m., or, 10:30 p.m. until 1:30 a.m.
Saturday, 10/26 – The same schedule.
It is $25 per person. If you are planning on bringing children, please note that they have to be 13 years of age and older. Reservations are required. Call 302-645-7670. Please meet at the Lewes Historic Complex at 110 Shipcarpenter Street in the Midway School #178.
By participating in this haunt, you will investigate some of the mysterious activities. Delmarva Historic Haunts will show you the data that has been collected. They have done plenty of research of paranormal activity in the area and in locations like Gettysburg, Ft. Delaware, and many more.
The CANNONBALL HOUSE – It was built around 1765. It is now the home of The Lewes Historical Society’s Maritime Museum. It is a rare example of a Lewes house remaining on one site its entire existence. Location? The corner of Bank Street and Front Street.
The rest of the tour will take place visiting the Museums of The Lewes Historical Society at the Historic Complex. There are 9 buildings dating from the mid 1600’s to the late 1800’s. Location? 110 Shipcarpenter Street.
BURTON-INGRAM HOUSE – It dates to 1789. It is noted for the fine Federal period and colonial furnishings. This is an elegant home with several extraordinary museum pieces.
OLD DOCTOR’S OFFICE – Circa 1840. It houses collections of mid to late nineteenth century medical instruments. It is the only example of Greek Revival architecture in Lewes. It cannot be confirmed if it was the only building of that style constructed in Lewes. It contains about 500 volumes of medical texts.
RABBIT’S FERRY HOUSE – It dates to around 1740. This house is an example of rural Sussex County architecture. It reflects the hard and simple life of Southern Delaware’s 18th century farmers. This house if the home of the Lewes Historical Society’s fine collection of 18th century kitchen ware and furnishings.
You have the town, the experts and the buildings to become a paranormal investigator if only for a few hours…..have a great time!!
Note: Information for this post has been taken from The Lewes Historical Society’s website. Check it out!!
June 24th, 2012
My friend, Susan, and I were out and about in Historic Lewes, Delaware, just a couple of weeks ago, when almost at the end of our stay we decided to visit Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church. Saint Peter’s is located in the heart of Lewes at 2nd & Market Streets. Tel. 302-645-8479. Website? www.stpeterslewes.org.
The Church was open, which is a rarity these days. It was so quiet. We sat down to absorb this small and beautiful church, whose parish was established in 1681. The original church building was completed in 1724, and sat in front of the current one. A second church was built in 1808 and had a small bell tower. The bell that rings every Sunday is from that bell tower. The third and present building was built in 1854.
The Church is surrounded by stained glass windows; “The Story of God in Pictures”.
All of a sudden someone came out and sat in front of the organ and proceeded to play. At first we were the only ones there. A concert for us only. He was probably the director.
If you would like to check the choirs and music at Saint Peter’s, please visit http://www.stpeterslewes.org/#/worship-music/st-peters-organ.
Saint Peter’s has a beautiful Parish Hall that offers school, nursery and also a store with books and gifts.
Saint Peter’s owns the oldest cemetery in the state of Delaware. This particular cemetery is visited all the time. There were people walking, reading all the stones.
I don’t think many of my friends like to visit cemeteries. To me, they are a snapshot of time.
At Saint Peter’s there are about 18 noteworthy graves. They are marked and easy to find.
The two oldest ones are somewhat together, near a wall by the Church.
The oldest stone had inscriptions that were hard to read; Here lyeth ye body of Margaret ye widow of James Huling who desert Febry ye 16th in ye 76th yeare of her.
The second oldest one is also from the Huling family. A portion of the stone is broken so the whole inscription cannot be read. It said: Huling Martha his wife decest Febry ye 1708 in ye 8th year of her age.
We were fascinated with the fact that when reading the dates, we realized some of them lived really full lives.
The grave marked as 8th was the tomp of Caleb Rodney, the 23rd Governor of Delaware, born in 1767 and died in 1840.
The 9th Grave was from Hon. Caleb S. Layton, sometime Associate Justice of the Superior Court of the state, born in 1798 and died in 1882.
The 10th belonged to Dr. Henry Fisher, born in Waterford, Ireland in 1700. He was probably the first physician of eminence in the territory now known as Delaware.
If you are visiting Lewes, please do stop by. They are so interesting.
Labyrinths at St. Peter’s
The labyrinth is an ancient symbol found in many traditions around the world. It is different from a maze; it has only one path with no tricks or dead ends. It does not create anxiety; you are not solving a puzzle. It does lead us to the Source of our solutions, creating peace.
Susan and I decided to walk it. The winding path becomes a mirror for where we are in our lives, touching our sorrows and releasing our joys. It is to be used as a form of walking meditation to help find inner peace, manage stress, make decision and heal physically, emotionally and spiritually. I was following Susan and was trying to follow what she was doing. I don’t think I meditated much. They say that each walk is unique for each person.
After we reached the end…there were offerings left by other walkers.
St. Peter’s offers 2 Labyrinths to the community. There is the outdoor Path of Peace, the one we took. And, then there is the 30 ft. circular Chartres design Labyrinth which is used for indoor guided walks and special events. For more info., regarding presentations, retreats and other special events, contact Mary Van House at 302-684-1652.
Our visit to Saint Peter’s Church was the perfect ending to one pretty day. Susan and I had not seen each other for many years, so spending the day with her was just priceless!!
Have a good one!!
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