Who We Are

When the Church of England was officially established on the Eastern Shore in 1692, two parishes were originally designated in Worcester County - Snow Hill and Coventry Parish. Once part of Coventry Parish, St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church is a descendent of the early church built in Rehoboth. Somerset County.  The early church stands in ruin today.  

The residence of the area were originally part of the Coventry parish, one which was formed in response to the queen's order in 1692.  But in the early 1840's the people of Newtown, which later became Pocomoke City, decided it was time to build their own church.  In 1845, William Long Jefferson and Henry Long donated the land on which St. Mary's was built.  William Jefferson died in 1876 and is buried in St. Mary's churchyard.

The church was opened for divine services on July 20, 1845 and later consecrated to the worship and service of Almighty God" on November 13, 1845 by the Right Rev. William Rollinson Whittingham, DD, Bishop of Maryland.  The Bishop in his 1846 address to the Episcopal Convention described St. Mary's as ..."simple in material and style"...peculiarly correct in its plan and detail and complete in all the provisions and decency and beauty of holiness in worship." (1846 Journal of the 56th Annual Convention of Protestant Episcopal Church in Maryland).

In the same 1845 Convention Journal, the Rev. Dr. John Crosdale, D.D. reported for the Coventry Parish which included St. Mary's.  The Rev. Dr. Crosdale, a native of Baltimore, became minister of Coventry, Somerset.  Subsequently, Coventry Parish was divided and Pocomoke Parish was established.  Rev. Crosdale became the first full-time Rector of St. Mary's Pocomoke Parish on February 5, 1855, and served until his death in 1878.  He is buried in St. Mary's Churchyard and known to some as the "Father of the Diocese od Easton". 

When the church was first opened it was under the Diocese of Maryland.  The church was placed under the authority of the Diocese of Easton in 1868.  In the late 1880's, the church was enlarged, and the bell tower was constructed.  After a cornerstone was laid in 1888, the work was completed, and the church was dedicated the following year.  However, the church was heavily damaged by fire on November 11, 1925.  The parish was able to overcome this devastating event, with the help of our Lord and may dedicated and hardworking parishioners. 

​In like manner, the architecture of the church was designed by one of England's leading architects Sir. Christopher Wren.  Wren used curved plaster ceilings to naturally amplify the sound of the church. The church and the parish house (now located in Furnace Town Living Heritage Museum near Snow Hill, Md) are considered by the Maryland Historical Society to be good examples of the Gothic revival architecture.

The church is also regaled for the stained-glass windows of the church depict the "history of the saints".  Certainly, the two windows on either side of the narthex as one enters St. Mary's show this in a very descript manner.  These windows speak to the history of the parish.  Beginning with the building of the church in 1845 and "the old Parish House" that same year, a history of the people of the parish, significant events, parish groups, and prominent events are depicted until 2002 when both windows were completed. Subtle images such as the combined Union and Confederate flags remind us that members of the parish supported both causes during the War between the States but also teach us that even to this date, in times of division, we can come together in the name of Christ.  Other images include events from our long history that have carried down to present day such as bakes goods and craft sales, the long-standing Epiphany pageant, the ladies' guilds and the flowered cross created by the children each year.

​Today the church building remains, having been rebuilt from a fire in the earlier part of the twentieth century.  A remodeling of the altar area took place in 2018 and becomes part of our ongoing story of Christianity from its inception.

​St. Mary's Church now sits on a 3-acre campus which includes a modern 2-story parish hall with classrooms, an office suite, meeting rooms and a large kitchen to accommodate our many parish gatherings.  The rectory is adjacent to the parish hall and is also a 2-story building with numerous rooms.  A fourth building, a former Jewish Synagogue adjacent to the property, was acquired in 2018.  It is called "The Attic" and used as a thrift store.  Monies raised from the sale of goods is for outreach ministry to our local community.

​Nowadays St. Mary the Virgin Church has a full time Rector, The Reverend Stephanie Clayville, who was raised in Baltimore just like Rev. Crosdale.  She is working hard to further the legacy of the parish. "We are small but mighty and we are known for our sense of outreach and hospitality...our roots run deep like the Cypress Trees that line the Pocomoke River" The list is quite long of the folks, near and far, that are touched by the people of this parish.  Our direction is focused and our future is secure for the followers of Jesus in this place called Pocomoke...as they move onward together into the twenty-first century and beyond.

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Some information in this article is based on prior histories of the parish compiled by Bill Kerbin and for this we owe him thanks.  The September 1932 edition of the Eastern Shore Churchman of the Diocese of Easton was also an important source.