St. Michael's Chapel
The
Gothic Revival chapel at Hannah More Academy
was built in 1854 to serve as a house of worship for the school's all
female students as well as for area residents. It was really an
outgrowth of the St. Thomas Parish in Garrison.
Designed by John Priest, a New York
architect, it accommodated 100 worshippers in its 34 foot nave. In 1929
the building was extended to its present length. Its ceiling is of
oiled pine and its original windows were of a plain "enameled" design,
similar to those still on the west (street) side. The lovely
stained-glass
windows were installed during the 1929 renovations. The people they
memorialize are mostly the family of the chapel's founder, Rev. Dr. Arthur
Rich.
Featured above the altar (now
removed) is a three-lancet window with borders of wheat ears and grapes;
the center light has a dove, cross, and double triangle. The signs of
Alpha & Omega can be seen at the top.
St. Michael's was a part of the
Protestant Episcopal Diocese of Maryland until 1978 when it was
deconsecrated after the school moved to St. Timothy's in Stevenson,
Maryland. A handsome font was also moved to the new location, and a
bishop's chair given to St. Paul's School in Brooklandville,
Maryland. The whereabouts of an English communion service and candlesticks
given in the 19th century by local resident Somerville Norris remains a
mystery. The building is now on the National Register of Historic
Places as well as the Baltimore County Historic Landmarks list.
St. Michael's is the oldest building
on campus for the original school building burned in 1857. Most of the
local congregation moved to All Saints' Chapel (Bond Avenue) in 1883 and
then to All Saints' Church in 1891.
Neal Haynie, Parish Archivist
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St. Michael’s Restored
Bell Tower October 2004
Thanks to the urging of local residents and the efforts of Baltimore
County, the exterior of historic St. Michaels Chapel has at last been
restored. The million-dollar project also included repair and
replacements to the old Hannah More Academy buildings.
Constructed in 1852 and enlarged in
1928, the gothic Revival Chapel had suffered deterioration over the
years. It served the students of Hannah More Academy for 120 years until
the school transferred its charter to St. Timothy’s School. Area
Episcopalians also attended services at the chapel until the building of
All Saints’ chapel in 1883.
At a restoration ceremony held on September 8, 2003, County Executive
Jim Smith stated that future plans include the lighting of St. Michael’s
windows and restoration of the badly decayed interior. A ribbon-cutting
during the ceremony also included Councilman Bryan McIntire, members of
various historical agencies, and All Saints’ Reverend Dan Tuton. Francis
Rich Tyrrell, granddaughter of the Rev. Arthur John Rich, first rector
of the Reisterstown Parish, was honored as a special guest.
Neal Haynie, Parish
Archivist
The Windows
of St. Michael's
Beginning to the right of the main entrance (along
the South wall) the remarkable windows of this chapel are designated in
the following order:
1) The St. Mark's Window (memorial to Rev.
Fletcher's wife)
2) Memorial to the Reverend Joseph Fletcher
(Principal of Hannah More Academy staring in 1895)
3) Memorial to Ulnora B. Scharff (housemother at
Hannah More Academy)
4) Memorial to Fanny Rich
5) The Good Shepherd Window (memorial to
Rev. Dr. Rich)
Left (north) side, starting at the front
6) Memorial to Mary Rich (sister to Rev. Dr. Rich
7) The Sistine Madonna Window (memorial to
Ann Goldthwait Rich, niece to Rev. Dr. Rich)
8) Christ Blessing the Little Children
(memorial to the grand nephews and niece of Rev. Dr. Rich)
9) Memorial to Rev. Dr. Rich's sister-in-law and
nieces
Neal Haynie, Parish
Archivist
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