Surveys At St. Ignatius

St. Ignatius Church in Chapel Point, Maryland is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in continuous service in the United States.  The Church was founded in 1641.  Beneath a wooden structure next to the Church, elements of a tunnel system have been found.  The wooden structure once served as slave quarters, and it is believed that the slave quarters may have once operated as part of the Underground Railroad.  However, the tunnel system has remained largely unmapped and studies continue in order to identify its extent.

T. Shields, "Charles Parishioners Dig Deep for Answers," Washington Post
T. Shields, "Evidence of a Tunnel Found at Chapel Point," Washington Post, March 4, 1999
J. Skehan, "Geoscience and Archeological Investigation of the 'Tunnel' at St. Thomas Manor and St. Ignatius Church" (pdf, 200 kB)