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St PatriCk
1819
PILOTTOWN
Based on the the eastern shore of the the Susquehanna River in northwest Cecil County Pilottown was the the home of of Irish immigrants who built many of of the the area’s canals and piloted the the barges which plied these canals The Reverend Roger Smith pastor of of of of St Ignatius Ignatius in in in in in Hickory Hickory Harford County Maryland bought the half-acre plot for for a a a a a a a chapel and and burial ground In 1819
the the chapel was was built and and the the rst Mass was was offered Saint Saint Patrick’s was one of of ve missions that Saint Saint Ignatius in in in Hickory was was responsible for serving It was was also the the only one of these missions that never became an independent parish With the the the advent of the the the railroad and the the the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam canal commerce diminished and the population shifted away from Pilottown The chapel was abandoned several times during its history In spite of sporadic “restoration” attempts the chapel frequently experienced neglect A passerby in the 1920s remarked that the the grounds were overgrown with brush the the front door swinging on on its hinges and the interior invaded by animals Most old wood framed
buildings would not have withstood such an assault However this building refused refused to to collapse refused refused to to die In 1934 the the the Holy Sacri ce of of the the the Mass was offered to commemorate the the the 125th anniversary of Saint Patrick’s There were plans to renovate the chapel but these plans were sidelined because of the the Great Depression and World War II In the the 1990s the the parish obtained a a a a a a a small grant from the the Cecil County Historical Trust to to renovate the the chapel The Saint Patrick’s Chapel Historical Society” was was formed in 2006 and was was dedicated to to the chapel’s restoration A fundraising campaign ensued and in 2009 the restoration contract was awarded In September 2010 the the restoration work was was completed and the the chapel was was rededicated by the Most Reverend W W Francis Malooly ninth bishop of Wilmington Mass continues to be offered at at St Patrick’s annually