Dahlgren Chapel (Maryland)
Encyclopedia
Dahlgren Chapel is located at the summit of Turner's Gap
in western Maryland
between Middletown
and Boonsboro
. The Gothic revival stone chapel was built in 1881 and consecrated as the Chapel of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Most of the building materials came from the immediate area of the site, while a marble altar was imported from Italy.
The chapel was built for Sarah Madeleine Vinton Dahlgren, daughter of Congressman Samuel Finley Vinton
, who had married Admiral John A. Dahlgren
, inventor of the Dahlgren gun
, in 1865. Admiral Dahlgren died in 1870. Mrs. Dahlgren purchased a former tavern on South Mountain
at Turner's Gap as a summer retreat, naming it Dahlgren Manor. The chapel was built across the National Road
from the house. When Mrs. Dahlgren died in 1898, she was interred in the chapel's family crypt.
After a period under the ownership of the Sisters of the Holy Cross
from 1922 to 1925 the chapel returned to the Dahlgren family. It was purchased in 1960 by Richard G. Griffin, who undertook a restoration. The property was acquired by the Central Maryland Heritage League in 1996. The chapel is included in the Turner's and Fox's Gaps Historic District
, but as a non-contributing structure, owing to its post-Civil War construction, which places it outside the historic district's time of historic emphasis.
Turner's Gap
Turner's Gap is a wind gap in the South Mountain Range of the Blue Ridge Mountains, located in Frederick County and Washington County, Maryland. The gap is traversed by U.S. Route 40 Alt, the Old National Pike. The Appalachian Trail also crosses the gap....
in western Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
between Middletown
Middletown, Maryland
Middletown is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,668 at the 2000 census. Middletown is a small, rural community steeped in American history...
and Boonsboro
Boonsboro, Maryland
Boonsboro is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States, located at the foot of South Mountain. It nearly borders Frederick County and is proximate to the Antietam National Battlefield...
. The Gothic revival stone chapel was built in 1881 and consecrated as the Chapel of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Most of the building materials came from the immediate area of the site, while a marble altar was imported from Italy.
The chapel was built for Sarah Madeleine Vinton Dahlgren, daughter of Congressman Samuel Finley Vinton
Samuel Finley Vinton
Samuel Finley Vinton was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio from March 4, 1823 to March 4, 1837 and again from March 4, 1843 to March 4, 1851....
, who had married Admiral John A. Dahlgren
John A. Dahlgren
John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren was a United States Navy leader. He headed the Union Navy's ordnance department during the American Civil War and designed several different kinds of guns and cannons that were considered part of the reason the Union won the war...
, inventor of the Dahlgren gun
Dahlgren gun
Dahlgren guns were muzzle loading naval artillery designed by Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren USN, mostly used in the period of the American Civil War. Dahlgren's design philosophy evolved from an accidental explosion in 1849 of a 32-pounder being tested for accuracy, killing a gunner...
, in 1865. Admiral Dahlgren died in 1870. Mrs. Dahlgren purchased a former tavern on South Mountain
South Mountain (Maryland and Pennsylvania)
South Mountain is the northern extension of the Blue Ridge Mountain range in Maryland and Pennsylvania. From the Potomac River near Knoxville, Maryland in the south, to Dillsburg, Pennsylvania in the north, the long range separates the Hagerstown and Cumberland valleys from the Piedmont regions of...
at Turner's Gap as a summer retreat, naming it Dahlgren Manor. The chapel was built across the National Road
National Road
The National Road or Cumberland Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Construction began heading west in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River. It crossed the Allegheny Mountains and southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching...
from the house. When Mrs. Dahlgren died in 1898, she was interred in the chapel's family crypt.
After a period under the ownership of the Sisters of the Holy Cross
Sisters of the Holy Cross
The Sisters of the Holy Cross headquartered on the same grounds as Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana, is one of three Catholic congregations of religious sisters which trace their origins to the foundation of the Congregation of Holy Cross by the Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau,...
from 1922 to 1925 the chapel returned to the Dahlgren family. It was purchased in 1960 by Richard G. Griffin, who undertook a restoration. The property was acquired by the Central Maryland Heritage League in 1996. The chapel is included in the Turner's and Fox's Gaps Historic District
Turner's and Fox's Gaps Historic District
The Turner's and Fox's Gaps Historic District comprises the Civil War-era battlefield involved in the Battle of South Mountain, which took place on September 14, 1862. The district extends on the west to the slopes of South Mountain in the area of Zittlestown, and to the east beyond the foot of the...
, but as a non-contributing structure, owing to its post-Civil War construction, which places it outside the historic district's time of historic emphasis.