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Richard built his mansion and named it Enclosure. A whole
wing of the mansion was reserved as a chapel for those
irregular times that mendicant Jesuits traveled up the
western shore of Maryland. Richard married Mary Gardiner
and it wasn’t long before their family grew to seven children
and outgrew their living space. Richard replaced the chapel
wing with an outstructure camouflaged as a smokehouse and
dedicated as a chapel.
A Jesuit visitor to the Queen estate became a social
event for the entire Catholic neighborhood. Coming to
church meant to remain overnight and to spend the entire
day following communing and socializing. The Digges,
Carrolls and Brents were the nearest neighbors to Richard
Queen. All financially contributed to the maintenance of the
chapel: sacred vessels and vestments, care of the cemetery
that began and expanded on the grassy knoll surrounding the
chapel and general upkeep.
Richard Queen died in 1794. In his last will and
testament Richard wrote:
I give and bequeath to my friend, Right Reverend
John Carroll, Bishop of Baltimore, his heirs and
assigns forever, the remaining members of the
Roman Catholic Church, two acres of land where
the Roman Catholic Church now stands being part
of a tract of land called The Enclosure. My
intention and will is that the said two acres of land