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560 Fountain Street , Grace Reformed Episcopal Church, c. 1910

The cornerstone of this brick church was laid in 1910, and the first service was held December 25, 1910, with the Rev. Joseph D. Wilson, Dean of the Reformed Episcopal Seminary, leading the congregation in the Episcopal Christmas service. Leaders in organizing the church in 1910 were Walter T. Jackson and his wife, Nellie (who lived on Congress Avenue); Walter served as a vestryman until his death in 1938.
A lightning strike in August of 1915 caused considerable damage to both the church building and its furnishings. The lightning bolt first struck the steeple, which then ignited the wooden rafters. While volunteer firemen were scrambling to fight the fire, church members carried out the organ and the hymnals and other valuables. During the three-month reconstruction, the chancel was deepened and a choir area and vestry room were added. In 1916 the Parish Hall was added. A building project in 1961 provided for a two-story educational section.
Numerous memorial gifts have been given by church members over the years, including a silver chalice, processional cross, linens for the eucharist, and stations of the cross. The stained glass window behind the communion table was a gift of the daughters of William P.C. and Mary Whitaker, who were charter members of the church. William P.C. Whitaker (1813-1888) was a Civil War veteran of the Union Army and his grown daughters lived in Havre de Grace. And The Rising Sun Midland Journal reported on April 7, 1911, that the daughters also presented a bell weighing 1,500 lbs to Grace Reformed Episcopal Church. Another charter member of the church was Inez H. Osborn, who lived between her homes in the nearby Blenheim Mansion and Market Street.
Renovations to the church were completed in 1984 with the installation of kneelers, gray carpet and Spanish red cushions, sanctuary refurbishment and air-conditioning. The choir was relocated and the new electric organ placed opposite. In 1995 the entire interior of the church, Parish Hall, classrooms and office underwent extensive refurbishing with new window hangings and painting. Notable in this nicely maintained brick church are the windows with a gothic arched shape and Tiffany glass. This property received an award from the Havre de Grace Historic Preservation Commission in 2010.
Rev. Dr. Daniel Ellsworth Raudenbush was minister of this church from 1940 to 1980 and his daughter, Mimi Shires, remembers living here. And Mary Elliott-Armstrong remembers Rev. Raudenbush well because she sang in the choir here for 36 years. The brick rectory beside the church is also numbered 560 Fountain Street and was built in 1950, followed by the educational wing behind it.
County Records 20,250 sq ft. Exempt.
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