Christ Church
S. State and Water Sts., Dover, DEChrist Church was established as a mission of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in 1704; the present building has been occupied by the parish since it moved to this site in 1734. The site is one of two public squares set aside for houses of worship in the Dover town plan of 1717.
Most famous of the early ministers was Charles Inglis, later the first bishop of Nova Scotia. The parish declined after the American Revolution, and by 1859 the old church was near collapse. In that year, the parish sold its glebe and used the proceeds to renovate the church.
Much of the trim, the windows, and the interior fittings, of the church today were installed during the 1859, 1887, and subsequent renovations.
During the Revolutionary War, Samuel Megaw, a patriot, was rector of Christ Church. Unlike his associates in the Anglican ministry, Megaw was friendly to the American cause and to the Methodist missionaries. Among the parishioners of Christ Church at this time were Caesar Rodney (who is buried here), and members of the Banning, Ridgely, and Loockerman families.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.