Endangered Maryland

Since the Wetipquin Chapel is so well preserved, it is like walking back into another period of time, says G. Ray Thompson, Ph.D., professor of history and founder and director of the Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture at Salisbury University, who nominated the site.

“All the pews, hymnals, and religious paraphernalia are intact inside the chapel, which stands as a visual reminder of the rich religious traditions of 19th-century Delmarva,” says Thompson. “The interior appointments are, by and large, from the Victorian period. Arguably, the Wetipquin Chapel is the best surviving example of the early Methodist meetinghouse structure. Once, hundreds of these chapels would have dotted the countryside of Delmarva.”

Reportedly built between 1825 and 1827, the chapel is historically significant because it is an example of an early meetinghouse form, combines architectural periods, and, according to Thompson, “no doubt was initially home to African Americans, as well as to white parishioners.”

Since religion was an integral part of the daily lives of early Delmarvans, this chapel is symbolic of that central element of Delmarva’s past lifestyle, says Thompson. It is currently deeded to the inactive Quantico Methodist Episcopal Church; the district office of the Peninsula-Delaware Conference of the United Methodist Church is pursuing ownership.

Thompson is among advocates who encourage Marylanders to become involved in grassroots historical organizations. “Local history is the backbone of America’s history,” he says. “It is here that people and their accomplishments are most readily seen. It is the people who make up a country, not some abstract ideology.”

He continues. “Preserving the visible heritage of Delmarva is crucial. Without the visible evidences of our past, we have only an abstract, and imperfectly understood, knowledge of the past of our own region.”

For more information, visit nabbhistory.salisbury.edu , email jgmorris@comcast.net, or call 410-742-4059 or 410-543-6312.