The Original Saint Mary's Church (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this roadside historical marker:

About eighty feet to the west of this site the original Saint Mary's Church was constructed between 1794–1796 by father Francis Neale, S. J., at the corner of what is now Washington and Church Streets. It was the first catholic church in the commonwealth of Virginia and it served the few Catholics of area until 1810. This cemetery is an outgrowth of that early church. The land was donated by a protestant gentleman, Robert T. Hooe.

Prominent in the beginnings of Saint Mary's Parish was Colonel John Fitzgerald, aide-de-camp to General George Washington. We are told that General Washington was among the many men, both protestant and Catholic who contributed toward the construction of Saint Mary's.

This monument is dedicated to the memory of the many priests who served Saint Mary's Parish since its beginning.

Joseph Wingle Pastor
William T. Reinecke, assistant in charge of Cemetery.
November, 1968