u/alongtheelk

>Situated where the Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake Bay in Harford County, Havre de Grace (meaning "Harbor of Grace" in French) was laid out in 1781, incorporated in 1785, and recognized by Smithsonian Magazine in 2014 as one of the best 20 small towns to visit in the United States. With about 15,000 residents, Havre de Grace is another great example of a community that effectively mixes the historic and the modern.

How wonderful is it, to enjoy the outdoors right after a long winter, and a chilly early Spring?! I am enjoying the ferns in the woods. Share your pics of Havre de Grace foliage!

May God bless you all this Late Spring! 🙏🏼✝️🌼

Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Cumberland, Maryland is an example of Gothic Revival ecclesiastical architecture, executed in locally available stone! It's beautiful, especially with the mountain town backdrop.

Some elements that caught my eye:

• A steeply pitched gabled roofline
• A prominent lancet window grouping
• A square bell tower transitioning into a slender spire
• Rough-cut stone masonry, which situates the building firmly within its Appalachian setting

Important historical aspect - this church was part of the Underground Railroad as well! ( https://www.whilbr.org/AlleganyAfricanAmericans/Emmanuels-Underground-Railroad ) It is said that people would hide under the church, and be given rest, food, and aid before continuing on their journey. See the photos of the areas of the church that might have been used for this!

Read more: https://emmanuelparishofmd.org/

I am just in awe of the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church in Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Maryland.

The city around it has all but fallen in many ways, and don't even get me started on the United Methodist denomination (also fallen). It's a shame to see churches and denominations lose their standing in modern day society. What a gorgeous church building...no longer even used.

What makes it High Victorian Gothic (not just “Gothic”)

Polychromatic stone & visual texture

• Alternating tones of stone rather than a flat, uniform façade
• Heavy, textured masonry that gives depth and shadow
• A deliberate richness
• Pointed arches & layered depth

Classic pointed (lancet) arches over doors and windows

• Deeply recessed openings, often with multiple layers
• Windows grouped in a way that feels structured, not decorative
• Towering massing & asymmetry

Strong vertical pull, especially in the tower

• Not perfectly symmetrical; intentionally varied
• Feels anchored and civic, not delicate or ornamental
• Ornament used with restraint

Carving is present, but never overindulgent

• Details serve the structure
• The emphasis is discipline over display

What a beauty!

Founded as part of the colonial parish structure in 1692, the church’s later Gothic Revival form reflects a return to older Anglican architectural language, where stone, proportion, and verticality quietly assert permanence.

Read more -> Christ Episcopal Church and Cemetery