St. Peter's By-The-Sea Protestant Episcopal Church is a historic church at 529 Shore Road in

York County, Maine York County is both the southernmost and the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Maine, along the state of New Hampshire's eastern border. It is divided from Strafford County, New Hampshire, by the Salmon Falls River and the connected ti ...

, approximately 1 mile north of the village of Cape Neddick. Built in 1897, it is fine example of Gothic Revival architecture, and as one of several architecturally distinguished summer resort chapels that dot the Maine coast. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1999. It is used for services between June and September.

Description

The church is set on the east side of Shore Drive, just south of The Cliff House Resort, between the communities of Cape Neddick and Ogunquit on the York County coast. It is a stone and wood construction, built in the style of a medieval English country church. It is roughly cruciform in shape, with short transepts and an entry porch. The stone tower rises in buttress-like steps to an open belfry, and is capped by a stone cross. The interior has Gothic style timber truss framing, tongue-and-groove paneled walls and ceilings, and Gothic-style lights.

History

Nanne Dunlap Conarroe made a bequest in 1897 to build the church and the

Ogunquit Ogunquit ( ) is a resort town in York County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,577. Ogunquit is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. History Ogunquit was first a village within ...

Memorial Library. In accordance with her deceased husband George's wishes the church was built on Christian Hill so that the cross on the steeple could be viewed by fishermen at sea. The church and the library were both designed by Charles C. Burns, and built by Edward Blaisdell of

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

. A house, originally named Bonnie Brae but now known as the Marmion House, was built adjacent to the church in 1900, and has served as the rectory since 1908. In 1917 Nanne Conarroe died and left the church, Bonnie Brae, and two other houses, to the board of directors. The church was incorporated in 1927. In 2007 a memorial garden was opened adjacent to the church for the burial of

cremains Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

.St. Peter's by-the-Sea History
accessed 2010-06-25

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peters By-The-Sea Protestant Episcopal Church, Cape Neddick, Maine Episcopal church buildings in Maine Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Gothic Revival church buildings in Maine Churches completed in 1897 19th-century Episcopal church buildings Churches in York County, Maine National Register of Historic Places in York County, Maine

Description

History

See also

References