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All the United States Maryland Brandywine Church of the Atonement Cemetery

Church of the Atonement Cemetery

A cemetery and stairs are all that remains of this former church

Brandywine, Maryland

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Cemetery.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Historical Marker.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Cemetery visible across the train tracks.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Gate to the cemetery.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
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Nestled in a wooded area behind a set of train tracks about a quarter-mile off of MD-301 is a small cemetery and the ghost of a church that once stood adjacent to the burial ground.

The house of worship, known as the Church of the Atonement, St. Thomas' Episcopal Parish, was constructed in 1875 and presided over by Bishop William Pinkney. It was located on land that was purchased by Enoch Pratt.

A bell tower was added in the 1880s in memory of the Reverend Samuel L. Gordon. Services ended in 1925 as the congregation moved to a new building, and the original church was ultimately torn down in 1947.

All that remains now, behind an old-style, counterweighted gate, are the stairs that once stood at the entrance to the church, and a cemetery spread out across two areas. The graves are located to the right of the former entrance to the church and the historical marker, and another set of gravestones that stands behind the woods to the left of the sign.

This place would likely be forgotten entirely if not for local legends about a witch who was buried in the graveyard. Details seem to point toward Moll Dyer, though the stories are inconsistent at best.

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The cemetery is located off of Crain Highway, down Frank Tippett Road, just across the train tracks.

​The modern-day St. Thomas Church is located at 14300 Saint Thomas Church Rd., Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20772.

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June 19, 2026

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  • http://www.interment.net/data/us/md/princegeorge/atonement/
Church of the Atonement Cemetery
Brandywine, Maryland, 20613
United States
38.734746, -76.822879
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