St. Thomas Episcopal Church

History: St. Thomas Episcopal Church had become an unintended target of Confederate General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's artillery on January 5-6, 1862. After his demand for surrender was denied, he began shelling from Orrick's Hill, Virginia, toward Hancock. Union troops were positioned on a ridge behind St. Thomas Episcopal Church and St. Peter's Catholic Church. Through the night of the 4th, and into the night of the 5th, Union forces were reinforced by forces from Cumberland and Hagerstown. The weather had become bitterly cold, causing Jackson to withdraw his army of 8,500 men to their winter headquarters in Winchester, Virginia.

More to Explore: In Hancock you will find the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park's Visitor Center. Visitors are able to tour the Bowles House. Originally built as a one-story structure on a hill overlooking the Potomac River, the 220-year old home is illustrative of life on the canal features a variety of videos, photographs, and exhibits that interpret the stories of the families who occupied the home and operated the canal locks during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Photo Credits:

1. "St. Thomas Episcopal Church and Hancock." Photo courtesy of St. Thomas' Parish, Hancock, MD.