The quiet beauty of Old Trinity Church lies at the heart of an 85 acre glebe (church lands) of farmland and lush waterfront below Cambridge, Maryland on Church Creek, a tributary of the Little Choptank River. The church was constructed by English settlers on private land patented in 1671 sometime before the 1692 Vestry Act created thirty “Church of England” parishes in Maryland. Land west and south of the Little Choptank and Blackwater Rivers would become “Dorchester Parish,” thereby dubbing this structure the “Church in Dorchester Parish,” until 1853 when it was renamed “Trinity” and locally called “Old Trinity” ever since. Perfectly restored to its colonial ideal in the 1950s, Old Trinity Church is now recognized as one of the oldest church buildings in the country, and the oldest still used for regular worship. As such, Old Trinity has been featured in many articles and public lectures.

Old Trinity has somehow managed to house a worshipping congregation through three and a half centuries of political and ecclesiastical change. At times the site was all but abandoned. Yet throughout its history the church has been able to attract enough folk to keep it alive and to maintain its graveyard and cemetery as a regional burial ground.

 Today’s Old Trinity is the home of a small, but energetic congregation of committed members, as well as many local friends, who are interested not only in keeping up this “venerable pile of bricks,” but also in mitigating the environmental impact of human activity along its pristine shoreline and the acreage surrounding it. Much of this land is farmed, using environmentally-sensitive agricultural methods. The churchyard is meticulously kept up as well and is filled with many majestic trees. Old Trinity’s waterfront boasts a restored “living shoreline” filled with indigenous plant species that make it attractive to waterfowl and marine life.

The grounds are open every day from dawn to dusk. The parish welcomes guests who visit throughout the week, or who come specifically to attend a worship service. Helpful informational signs and brochures are located at the lychgate next to the parking lot. These beckon all to come and enjoy these sacred grounds. Stay awhile, enjoy the wonders of its natural setting, take a walk along one of the trails, learn about its colonial history, honor the lives of those who chose these grounds as their final resting place, and say a prayer of thanksgiving to the God who created this “Place of Restoration.”