St. Mary's Chapel
Those who worship or pray in St. Mary’s Chapel are often touched by the building’s historical character and simple charm. What they might not know is that it rose from humble origins to be a continued presence in the history of the evangelization of Chester County.
The “King’s Highway” was originally laid out in 1690, as an east-west thoroughfare enabling people and goods to move from the Philadelphia area to Lancaster. In 1791 it became a toll road, known as “The Lancaster Turnpike.” Along this busy thoroughfare, James Bowen erected an elegant tavern known as “The Ship Inn”. Across the street from the Inn stood a fine, gray stone livery stable first built in 1793, where those lodging at the Ship Inn would house their horses.
In 1808, Pope Pius VIII established Philadelphia as a Diocese in order to provide spiritual care to Catholics in the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the southern portion of New Jersey. As the Catholic population grew, so did the need for new churches. The first parish in Chester County was St. Agnes, founded in 1793 as Christ’s Church. In 1851, a portion of the parish, including Exton, was divided to form a new parish, St. Joseph’s in Downingtown.
In 1873, Miss Elizabeth Brasier, who had purchased the Ship Inn, asked Bishop James Wood to establish a mission for the Catholics of Exton. The Bishop asked Miss Brasier to find a suitable location, a task she happily took up – it took the faithful two months to convert the Inn’s stable into a suitable chapel, and prepare its interior to become a fitting house for the Lord.
On October 24, 1873, Miss Brasier donated the stable to the Bishop of Philadelphia for the token price of $1.00. On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 1873, Bishop Wood formally dedicated the chapel to “St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception,” and it began life as a mission served by clergy from St. Joseph’s. The priests would travel by train from Downingtown, and would then be transported from the train to the chapel by horse and wagon. After Mass, the priest would enjoy breakfast at some parishioner’s table, until it was time for him to take the train back to Downingtown.
