The Ark of Hungerford Creek

The Ark of Hungerford Creek. . , The current Ark of Hungerford Creek originated in Stettin, Germany, as a lifeboat for the passenger liner Kronprinzessin Cecilie, built in 1906 for the North German Lloyd company. After numerous transatlantic voyages,the Kronprinzessin Cecilie was interned in the United States after the outbreak of World War I. The vessel eventually became the troop transport USS Mount Vernon. In 1927, the Mount Vernon was laid-up in the Patuxent River and, together with other ex-German passenger liners, formed the so-called "Ghost Fleet." , Around 1935, Episcopal minister Rev. Benjamin B. Lovett acquired the lifeboat from the Mount Vernon and hauled it ashore at his weekend retreat on nearby Hungerford Creek. His vision was to create a miniature biblical ark by building a house on the lifeboat with a chapel in the bow section. A guest room occupied the rest of the boat. It was known as "Faith Chapel-The Ark." Multiple baptisms and a wedding were performed onboard., Originally, the lifeboat held a maximum of 66 people and a number of seats ran crosswise inside the hull which were removed when the lifeboat was converted into a chapel. Evidence of their location can be determined by the cut-off frames, seen in the right of the photograph., As a child, Marjorie Ann Reid was baptized on the Ark in 1937. Her parents were from Lakewood, Ohio, but they spent summers near Hungerford Creek., Shortly before Rev. Lovett's death in 1943, the property was sold. successive owners maintained the Ark for storage and as an office. It remained a feature and curiosity on the shores of Hungerford Creek until 2016, when it was moved to the museum. A more complete history can be found on the museum's website. Funding for this project was provided in part by Preservation Maryland and the Maryland Historical Trust., [Captions:] , ❶ Part of the "Ghost Fleet" anchored bow to stern near Point Patience in the Patuxent River. The Mount Vernon is second from the left. (CMM P-04067), ❷ Family and guests attending the baptism of Ethel Yvonne McCready on October 14, 1939. She is being held by her mother, Ethel, on the right. Her older sister, Earlene, stands in front of her father, Earl McCreader, with tie. Earlene was baptized on the Ark in 1937. (Courtesy, Emily Ferris), ❸ Marjorie "Billie" Reid several years after she was baptized on the Ark in 1937. (Courtesy, Carol Koleman), ❹ The only known image depicting the inside of the Ark and shows the chapel with the altar. A simple curtain separated the chapel from the guest room. (Courtesy, Emily Ferris), ❺ "Faith Chapel-The Ark" in the late 1930s. Note the guests standing on the entrance ramp, perhaps there for a wedding? (Courtesy, Emily Ferris), ❻ Rev. Benjamin B. Lovett beside his Model T Ford. (Courtesy, Emily Ferris), CMM 2016.25 (Gift of Robert A. Moeller, Jr.)