Saint Ignatius Church at Port Tobacco

St. Thomas Manor (left) and St. Ignatius Church (right)

Saint Ignatius Church (and Saint Thomas Manor) at Port Tobacco is a notable site in American Catholic history, founded soon after the first Catholic settlers arrived in Maryland on the Ark and Dove.  The parish is "the oldest continuously active Catholic parish in what is now the United States" (according to a guide available from the parish website).  Saint Thomas Manor was the farm run by the Jesuits there; the two-story manor house was built around 1741.  The church was built in 1798.  In the 1990s, parishioners and others created needlework to adorn the kneelers in 56 pews.  Near the church is a historical marker that lists the local Knights of Columbus councils; in the parking lot across the street is a sign explaining the different parts of the building.  The view from the ground between the church and its historic cemetery overlooks Port Tobacco and the Potomac River.