On The Hill - St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church
by Emmy Marie Vickers
Title
On The Hill - St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church
Artist
Emmy Marie Vickers
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
On The Hill - St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church. Located in Harpers Ferry, West VA. You will see in my West Virginia gallery, that I have a scene of this beautiful church where I was down below looking across and up. My curiosity got the best of me yesterday (02/04/2015). I read all about this church and its history. When hubby and I visited Harpers Ferry on January 1st of this year, I wanted to check it out, but physically, I was unable to do so.
So, yesterday, as I stood at the bottom of the hill, I felt that somehow I had to make it up the steps to check it out. Once I saw the steps, I thought, hey, that's not too bad. There's a few landings to rest. Going up was ok, even with two bad knees and a bad back. It was coming back down that was very difficult and a little scary. I really had to grip on to the railings because of the pain in my left knee (surgery knee and just had an injection earlier in the day that did not take well). It took me much longer to get back down than to go up. I guess that's the true photographer and adventurer in me. Downside -- church was closed. One of the reasons I'm so interested in this historical church is because of the history and paranormal activity that is known to go on here. And it looks like it would be phenomenal inside. I can't wait to come back in the spring with my husband on the weekend when the church is open.
About St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church. It is located within the quaint valley of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, situated on a peak of land that spears out into the meeting point of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church is a place of reverence, peace, and paranormal activity, as I shared earlier.
St. Peter's Church was built in 1833 in a pseudo-gothic style. It was built upon a large tract of land donated by the Wager family. Some reports state that the land was donated by none other than Robert Harper, the founder of Harpers Ferry. Robert's wife, Rachael Harper, is herself said to haunt the town of Harpers Ferry, overlooking the old Harper Garden in 18th century attire from the upper-most window of the Harper Home. But an article in the Virginia Free Press dated May 9, 1833 clearly states that St. Peters Church was 'built upon ground given by the Wager family.
A multitude of religious churches were built-in Harpers Ferry between the years of 1825 and 1852, but when the Civil War struck West Virginia, St. Peters Church was the only to survive the melee undamaged. In fact, this particular place of worship switched hands 14 times during the Civil War, controlled back and forth by the Union and Confederate armies.
During this time, being the only building in the vicinity that was virtually unscathed, St. Peters Church was used as a make-shift hospital. Soldiers were wheeled in, carted in or drug in on stretchers, and as was the case in harsh war times, not all of them walked back out.
One such soldier, whose story, the most famous ghost story of the St. Peters Church in Harpers Ferry, has become quite famous over the last century, did not make it out of the church alive. In fact, he barely made it in.
He was a young Catholic boy who was moderately wounded upon arrival, and happily content to know that his injuries would be treated within a place that worshiped his own faith. His wounds being less severe than many of the others around him, he was left outside until later that evening. His injuries worsened as the minutes ticked by, but he maintained that in his faith he would be saved. By the time he was lifted to be carried inside St. Peters Church, the young boy's life was slipping away. Just as his near lifeless body was brought over the threshold of the church, he whispered faintly "Thank God, I'm saved." Those words would accompany the boy's last breath.
To this day, visitors in the twilight hours have often claimed to see a faint, golden glow over the threshold of the cathedral, hearing a weak voice whisper
"Thank God, I'm saved."
Father Costello, the priest who ran St. Peters Church during the Civil War days and personally treated the soldiers, is also believed to haunt Harper Ferrys St. Peters Church. Visitors have relayed multiple accounts of passing by St. Peters Church on their way to Jefferson Rock only to see an old priest donning a friar's hat.
Many who have witnessed the ghostly apparition of the priest were so taken aback by the peacefulness that he emanated that they stopped to say hello, but no reply ever came. The ghost of St. Peters Church would simply turn and walk right through the wall of the cathedral.
Read more: http://www.ghosteyes.com/ghost-st-peters-church#ixzz3EHtFfwTi
Emmy Vickers,
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PHOTO FEATURED IN:
(1) Christian Theme Artwork Group - 02/21/2015
(2) Artist Best Five Artwork Group ABFA Group – 06/02/2015
(3) Pine Me - Daily – 05/09/2018
Thank you Administrators for the feature, support, and continuous encouragement. I really appreciate you and all you do!
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February 5th, 2015
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