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Religion has played and continues to play an important role in shaping the culture of the Upper Eastern Shore.
Some of the first settlers to this region came seeking religious toleration. Almost every town in the area contains a church, some of which are very old. The Third Haven Meetinghouse in Easton, built in
1682, is one of the oldest structures in Maryland, and the second oldest religious structure in America still enjoying continuous use.
In the early settlement period, a great number of Europeans came to the Upper Eastern Shore seeking a haven from
religious persecution. Lord Baltimore, a Catholic, decreed that his colony would be a place for free religious expression. In the 17th century, Catholics were still mistrusted among the Protestant English
following King Henry VIIIās establishment of the Church of England in the 16th century. Quakers, harassed in New England and Europe, came here for similar reasons.
During the colonial period, the Anglican church grew in stature and was able to levy taxes on parishioners to pay for
operating budgets and capital improvements to the local churches. As currency was scarce, taxes were paid in agricultural goods. The counties of the Upper Eastern Shore were divided into parishes, which
operated as municipalities in many respects.
At the end of the colonial period, the role of the Anglican church changed. Because the Revolutionary War severed ties
between the Church of England and American parishes, representatives from across the colonies gathered at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Chestertown and decided to forge an allegiance to the Scottish Episcopal Church.
Many colonial-era churches, parish houses, and cemeteries continue in their original function today.
From then till the present, churches have served the important role of offering solace to farming and fishing families
suffering from the vagaries of living off the land and on the water. This helps explain the ubiquitous but quiet presence of churches across the region. After the tensions of differing religions eased,
churches buttressed communities facing problems that affected every resident regardless of affiliation or belief.
Religious sites cover the entire four-county area. Churches are built wherever there is sufficient demand.
Therefore, county seats and other larger towns contain high concentrations of church buildings. In areas where populations are less dense, churches may be found in relative isolation amid fields and farms.
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