St. John the Baptist Church

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 506 Barre Street West of Little Green Street

Formed in 1858 as a mission of the Episcopal Diocese. A brick building was underway in late 1858 and opened for use in 1859. Its location in the Pigtown put it literally in the shadow of the bustling B & O Railroad yards.It parishioners coming from the workers at the B&O would have consisted primarily of skilled semi and unskilled workers on the B & O Railroad. As walking to work was the most common method for all bu the most wealthy, the rail road workers would have lived near the job site, and churches were also near the job site.

Over the ensuing decades, the little parish had its share of ups and downs, always following the boom & bust cycle of the rail industry. Though always considered a church, and not a "chapel" It never reached full independence. By the late 1890s the diocese turned over the responsibility to Old St. Paul's who were also supporting another chapel a few blocks away.In 1902 St. John's was  merged with St. Paul's Chapel, which had erected a new larger building at the corned of Columbia Pike and Callender st.

In 1902 the St. John's building was put up for sale and was purchased by a Lithuanian independent Catholic congregation. At that time considered the first church in the United states to carry out the service in the Lithuanian language.

The building was used in this capacity until the late 1940s when the city took over a large swatch of land for the building of Russell Street, then the city end of the Baltimore Washington Parkway.
For a while the property languished as Russell St was not going to consume the actual property, and the city was planning to build an Elementary School for the African American children in that area.
Much opposition was made as the property was very unsuitable for a school. It is probable that the church was demolished during the Russel Street construction.

from The MD Churchman C 1902

form MD Churchman c 1902

1896 Baltimore City Atlas

Paca Street Christian Church

Later known as Harlen Avenue Christian Church and First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ Denomination)

First located - northwest corner of Paca and Lombard streets.

Originally the property housed a house which was purchased by a small Dunker congregation
(German Baptists)in 1787. The original deed was owned by John Eager Howard. In 1830 part of the building fell damaging a neighboring building.

The original Baltimore Disciples of Christ congregation formed in 1840, and for a decade met in houses, rented halls, and rented chapels until such time as they had enough money and strength in number to sustain a building and pastor.

In 1849, one of the Charter members of the Dunker group sold a portion of the property to the Disciples with the understanding that the Dunkers could make use of the Disciples building for their own worship. A great dispute occurred as the other members of the Dunkers were upset that they had not had a say in the sale. For a year the problem had its day in court. Until in 1850 the Disciples were able to secure legal rights to the property.

This building was enlarged and give a new facade in 1873.

Paca Street Christian Meeting House 1850

Interior of the Paca Street Christian Church before1873 renovation

Post 1873 renovation and enlargement

 Thirteen years later the residential parts of neighborhood was quickly dwindling, with commercial, manufacturing, and the University of Maryland on the increase. In the Winter of 1886 the Paca St Congregation buys a triangle shaped lot at Harlem Ave & Fremont Ave., and in the Summer of 1887 vacated the old building to take up in their new home on Harlem Ave. Renaming themselves The Harlem Avenue Christian Church. 

Exterior of the Harlem Ave. Christian Church

Interior of Harlem Ave. Christian Church. 

After the Disciples congregation vacated the Paca Street property, it was used to make cigarettes, then  straw hats, and later shirts.During the Straw hat period it was partially damaged by a fire and in 1904 the Great fire. In 1905 the area including the Church grounds were built on by clothing factory. In recent years it has been consumed by the ever expanding University of Maryland.

The Harlem Avenue building is still used as a church, but not by its original inhabitants. During the early 1920s a number of churches in the are same area held meetings where the issue of selling their properties to African American congregations was discussed. There was a fear that if one white church was to sell it would start an avalanche of sales and then a devaluation of home sales would occur. The Sun paper was filled with articles about the topic. Not once was there ever a pastor or church leader saying that the church should be open to all. In the end the Disciples of Christ congregation.

For a time the congregation rented space in the Forest Park Theater, until they had erected a building on Liberty Heights and Copley Rd.  The Nov 5, 1922 Sun Paper inserted an architect's rendering of the newly envisioned building on Copely Road, of which only phase I  was completed. 

1922 Sun Paper entry of the architect's rendering for the proposed Copely Rd complex

Present view of Copely Rd building

Emmanuel Evangelical Church

Not to be confused with the 21st century understanding of evangelism, which has its roots in the Baptist, Pentecostal, and Holiness forms of Protestantism, the 19th century Evangelical Association were ethnic Germans who followed the Armenian form of theology and a Methodist form of governing.
to the outsider they  appear to be German Methodists.

Formed in 1840 by missionaries from Pennsylvania, the congregation first rented a small chapel, as they grew they were able to rent a larger building.
One of these first buildings was the Cove Street Chapel, which still exists at the southeast side of Fremont Ave.  and Fairmount Ave., a humble little building now used as a hall for parties.

In 1841 a lot was bought at the corner of S Eutaw st and Camden st, which a small church was put up. In late 1851 a fire demolished the church, while the building was being rebuilt, the B & O Railroad urged them to sell their property to them  to build their large Camden Station.
A new site was bought on the east side of Greene street above Redwood. At this location they prospered.

In 1922 the Greene street building was bought by the University of Maryland who used it for a short time then demolished it.
The Emmanuel congregation built a new building in 1923 at the SE corner of west Baltimore and Garrison Lane (Franklintown Rd). Here the somewhat smaller congregation built the basement phase of a new building, and sometime later the modest church was erected on top.

During the late 1940s the Evangelical denomination merged with the United Brethren, another German Methodist styled group, who like Methodism, had its American origins in Baltimore.
forming the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) denomination.

In 1951 the congregation build a new building on Frederick Road, in Paradise MD (east side of Catonsville). In 1968 the EUB denomination merged with the various Methodist denominations to form the United Methodists.

Today Emmanuel is an active congregation. 

Rented in the 1840s Then called Cove St Chapel, located at Fremont & Fairmount Aves

Emmanuel's first built building which caught fire in 1851 was at south east corner of Eutaw St & Camden St

Interior of the Greene St building

Emmanuel is shown here just above the the Dental College

Another view of the Green St Church . Dental School on the right side.

The Baltimore & Garrison Lane  (Franklintown Rd.) building, still an active church

Map of the Second building

Present building, 6517  Frederick Rd, Catonsville MD

Memorial Church of the Holy Comforter (Episcopal)

Northeast corner of Pratt & Chester Streets.

Originally Called Church of the Epiphany, the congregation was formed in 1870 by the energetic rector of the St. Matthew's Chapel then  located on the north side of Bank St, east of Bond St. and served a  working class and poor population.  It is possible that Rev Scott decided to start the new church as a way to help pay for his efforts.

The location of the new church at Pratt and Chester streets put it into a burgeoning middle class neighborhood. Ground was broken in 1873,  but had difficulty proceeding. In 1874 Scott resigned from St. Matthew's, continued in the area, and by 1876 he was dead.

Sometime between 1875 & 76, a wealthy woman wanted to build a church  in memory of her parents.  She was directed to the unfinished Church of the Epiphany as a possibility. She accepted the challenge, but asked that Grace Church act as a parent for the new church. This  was common in those days where established churches would assist in governing and financial matters for newly established churches or chapels. The church was renamed Memorial Church of the Holy Comforter and was open for worship in April 1876. She also insisted that the church be a free church. Up into the early 20th century churches were not free for all to attend. A parishioner was to rent their pew or place in a pew. This was the way in which the church secured money to pay the bills. By paying for one's place in a pew, one was also guaranteed that their seat was available for Sunday worship. By the latter part of the 19th century, the idea that one would pledge financial support to be a member of the church. With this system, came the first come first serve seating.

For the next few decades, the congregation prospered, but by the early 1920s  was floundering.
The once stable, and fashionable area of butchers Hill, was transforming into a more working class and poor immigrant  population as the more mobile middle class, equipped with automobiles were migrating to the suburbs. this combined with the manufacturing ramp up for the 1st world war, meant fewer main line protestant parishioners to support the churches in the neighborhood.

In 1924 the congregation merged with two smaller mission chapels to form Church of the Resurrection, still active on Linwood & E Fayette Streets.


The Pratt street church building was demolished down to the top of the basement and a single storied retail store was erected on the old foundations. In the early 2000s the entire site was cleared to make way for new town homes.

 

St. Joseph Catholic Church

building #1 northeast corner of Barre and S Howard Streets.
building #2  1900-1901 Barre Street, (several numbers to the east of the old building).
building #3 south side of Lee St between S. Sharp & Hanover (originally Lee St Baptist)

Formed in 1839 as a church to cater to the Irish workers at the B& O Rail Road, St Joseph was the first Catholic church in the southern portion of the City.  The first building was in a curious style which a number of churches were fashioning in the early years of the 19th century before more accurate Gothic or Romanesque styles had taken hold.

In 1900 the old building was found to be inadequate and a new larger edifice, in the Romanesque was put up several numbers to the east, which had been occupied by the parish school.

In 1901 the old building had ceases to be used for worship and was leased out to a shoe factory and a little later by a machinery manufacturer.  In 1905 the old building was bought by the B &  O Rail Road in part of an expansion program. The church and many houses were located on the edge of the Rail Road yards and were gobbled up.

In 1912-13 the B & O wanted more land and pressed for the sale

of the new St Joseph building.  The Archdiocese bought the recently vacated Lee Street Baptist church, which was on Lee St between S Sharp and Hanover Streets. The Baptist building was to have been demolished and a new grand Catholic edifice put up in its place. Plans changed and the old Lee Street building was fitted up for Catholic worship.

The very fine & large stained glass windows from St. Joe's 2nd building found their way into St. Jerome Church, which was a few blocks away.

By the 1960's the neighborhood in which St. Joe's was located was slated for urban renewal and  an access ramp off for Interstate 95. The church was demolished to make way for new upscale town homes.

Building #1 Barre & Howard streets 1839

Building#2  Barre St east of Howard 1900

Building #3 Lee Street between Hanover & Sharp streets
(originally built 1860s by Lee Street Baptist)

1876 Hopkins map

1914 City atlas showing the demolished property

1914 City atlas showing the new location in the old Lee St Baptist building.

Exeter Street Methodist

E side of N. Exeter Street, left side of #309

Formed in 1789 which & then known as Green Street Church,which makes it one of the  older Methodist congregations in the nation.

In 1850 a new and larger building was started on the same site. Its membership grew and prospered over the decades. 
At the turn of the 20th century, the neighborhood was being flooded with immigrants, very few who were amenable to the Methodist doctrine.  In 1906 it was decided to merge with another nearby congregation, (Chester Street Methodist) and build anew in a more suburban area of East Baltimore. In 1909 the new building was dedicated at 501 N. Milton Ave. The name of the congregation being slightly altered to " Exeter Memorial Methodist" The congregation prospered and continued strong up into the 1950s. A  Sun paper last lists a funeral at the church in 1977. The present owners of the Milton Ave building is New Lebanon - Calvary Baptist Church.

In 1921, the old Exeter Street building, was converted into offices. Sometime in the 1930s it was re-purposed into a garment factory. It is presently a sport's shoe retail store. Though the 1921 transformation was radical, a careful inspection reveals the base molding of two pilaster s from the original exterior.

 

 

St. Mark's Episcopal

North side of W. Lombard east of Parkin Street (left side of #864 W Lombard St) Built in 1850-51 and designed by the premier architectural firm of Baltimore Niernesee & Neilson.

This building was part of a trio of Gothic Episcopal churches put up at this time, which Niernsee & Neilson had a hand, including St. Luke's Carey St. and Grace Park Ave. St. Marks was smaller than the other two. Though favored by Bishop Whittinham, who often attended St. Mark's, by 1899 the congregation was failing  and the congregation decided to close. The building was sold to a Pentecostal congregation, one of the first in the city. It was fortuitous that that they produced a booklet, in the 1930s, which shows the interior,  much as was left by St. Marks. The plastered walls were scored with faux mortar joints and the rectangles tinted to look like stone. This treatment of plaster was called "ashlaring". An ashlar being  the name of a cut stone used in buildings.


In 1955 the church was struck by lightning and burned. The remains were demolished. Curiously this church site was in an area of the city which suffers lightning and storm damage and has taken a number damaged or destroyed several churches.