St. Peter’s Episcopal
Church in Lewes

Every seaside village deserves a skyline punctuated by a church steeple visible from ships at sea. In Delaware's historic Lewes, trysting place of the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean, the St. Peter's Episcopal Church spire rises 90 feet heavenward and tops off any photograph or painting of the town. With a cross at its pinnacle, St. Peter's spire has been squinted at and measured by untold numbers of artists who, with backs to the bay and easels aimed toward Lewes, have captured a morsel of history with their brushes.

The sturdy red-brick church which gives rise to the towering spire is surrounded by grave stones marking the resting places of parishioners over the years. Included are four governors of Delaware, personages of the colonial era, pilots, the "February 30" inscription on the Cullen stone, and that of Margaret Huling, born in 1631. Cutting a swath through the stones is the inviting brick walk accessible through the gateway just two steps up from Second Street. Symbolically, the iron gates have been propped back for years, emphasizing the welcome to visit the church——on Sunday or weekday as the occasion arises

As one enters the church through the unusually tall doors, he is ushered into an oasis of serenity out of keeping with the setting in the midst of Lewes's bustling business district. A time of reverence within the walls cradling scenic stained glass windows, however brief, will prove a restoring interlude. (There is available a printed guide to selected graves in the yard.)

Falling within the shadow of the steeple are the church's parish house which serves as a veritable community hall; the rectory; and the Ryves Holt House. The recent acquisition of the Holt homestead, Delaware’s oldest house, brought into church ownership the entire block bound by Second, Third, Market, and Mulberry Streets. A brick wall embraces about half of the block, expressly the burial area, and a plaque on the front wall tells about the location of the early courthouse, while a plaque on the front of the Holt House gives a biography of the former owner who was a longtime warden of St. Peter's.

The church was built in 1854, with the steeple following in 1870, and represents the congregation's third house of worship on the same site. The two earlier frame renditions carry dates of 1724 and 1808. The first minister assigned through the Church of England's Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG) was the Rev. William Black who arrived in 1708.

In the publication of the Diocese of Delaware which marked its bicentennial observance during 1985, St. Peter's is listed as the ninth church in Delaware established with the assistance of the SPG, coinciding with the arrival of Black in 1708. But the congregation's local history precedes that year, for records indicate there was a parish prior to a priest. It was in 1681 that a group of Lewistown residents petitioned for a grant of land for the use of the Church of England. A four-acre plot was granted eight years later. Land set aside for a burial ground was fenced, and there followed the construction of a courthouse for Sussex County. It is believed the courthouse served as the house of worship until the completion of the first church building.

St. Peter's coat of arms highlights symbolism representing Peter the Fisherman and includes elements relating to the sea. Likewise, touches of the maritime are scattered throughout the churchyard. The remains of Capt. James Drew of the HMS DeBraak which sank in 1798 lie there, and Capt. Henry McCracken, a local pilot, had his wish granted that his anchor accompany him to his grave (tip of fluke is visible). Especially touching is the stone, unmistakably that of a child, over the grave of a 4-year-old lass who died on a sailing vessel bound for Europe from Philadelphia. Over a century and a half ago her family had her little body interred when the ship reached Lewes.

No attempt is made here to describe St. Peter's Episcopal Church; only a visit can do it justice. Perhaps you will agree with the 5-year-old who, upon his first visit inside, exclaimed, "0h, this does look like God's house!"

©Copyright 1997 Hazel D. Brittingham