a brief summary of...

The Dundalk Presbyterian Church (DPC) began on October 6, 1897, as the St. Helena Presbyterian Church. The name of the church was later changed to the Community Church and found a home on St. Helena Ave. The church changed its name again to the Dundalk Presbyterian Church and in 1957 moved to her present location on the corner of Merritt Blvd. and Peninsula Expressway. In 1980, the Dundalk Presbyterian Church left the United Presbyterian Church (UPCUSA) denomination, and then in 1982, Dundalk Presbyterian became part of the more conservative Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC).

our church buildings...
We have worshiped at three sites over its history:

Merritt Blvd. and Peninsula Expy.
1957 - Present

St. Helena & Willow Spring Road
1920 - 1957

Patapsco Avenue off Willow Spring Road
1897 - 1920

The following information are excepts from, One Hundred Years of God's Faithfulness: 1897 - 1997 - A Brief History of the Dundalk Evangelical Presbyterian Church, written by Shirley F. Morris, on Sept. 5, 1997, and also information obtained from the Maryland Historical Society, and the Dundalk Patapsco Neck Historical Society.

Page I -- Early Beginnings: 1897 - 1919

The Dundalk Presbyterian Church, which has occupied three different sites over its one hundred years, is the oldest continuously functioning church in Dundalk. If you ask some "old timers" for information about our church, they will likely tell you that we began as "The Community Church." In fact, I've been attending this church since the early 1940s and that's what I thought. Even my great grandmother referred to us as "the Old Community Church." Therefore, it is a surprise when folk learn that we actually began as a Presbyterian Church, and only somewhat later came to be designated as "the Dundalk Community Church."

Our history begins in early December 1895, when a Mr. William Hackett of the Patapsco Station Methodist Episcopal Church approached Mr. And Mrs. James W. Fahnestock, members of the Sparrows Point Presbyterian Church, with a proposition to start a Sabbath School in the vicinity of St. Helena/ Dundalk. The Fahnestocks agreed and graciously allowed their home to be used for the new Sabbath School and for proper meetings until more suitable quarters could be secured.

The first session of the Sabbath School was held January 12, 1896. Subsequently some sort of disagreement developed between the Pastor of the Patapsco Sta. M.E. Church and Mr. Fahnestock which resulted in the latter giving notice that the School could no longer meet in his home as an M.E. School. However, the School was reorganized as an independent school and continued on without interruption.

In July of 1896, Rev. J. Wynne Jones of Highland town submitted a proposal to build a chapel with a library and free reading room for the budding Dundalk group ... provided they would connect themselves with the Presbyterian Church. About this same time, Rev. W.C. Maloy "happened" to visit the Fahnestocks. When Rev. Maloy heard about all that was going on, he undertook, with no promises made, to interest the Baltimore Presbytery on our behalf.

On October 6, 1897, a petition asking for the organization of a Church at St. Helena, Baltimore County, MD, was presented to the Presbytery of Baltimore. The following week, October 14, a committee from Presbytery came to St. Helena to officially launch the St. Helena (Presbyterian) church. After devotional exercises, twenty people were accepted in membership.

From the records of the Dundalk Patapsco Neck Historical Society, we learned that seventeen of the churchs charter members were examined and received by confession of faith. They were Mrs. B. Mantell, George B. Martell, Misses Liela and Madie Mantell, Mrs. S. C. Johnson, Nicholas Jolly, August Martini, Gustav Martini, Misses Lena, Annie and Katie Rothe, Mrs. Lena Steedman, Miss Susie Seibold, Mrs. Sarah Ewing, Mrs. Isabella Spenser, John Casll(sic), and Mrs. Mary Martin. Three including Mr. and Mrs. James W. Fahnestock, and Frank G. Fahnestock joined by letter of transfer from the Sparrows Point Presbyterian Church.

James W. Fahnestock was elected ruling Elder, and Nicholas Jolly and George B. Martell were chosen to be Deacons. These brethren were duly ordained and installed.]

At the November 18,1897, Session meeting it was unanimously agreed that a call would be extended to the Rev. William C. Maloy to be pastor of our church. He was to receive a salary from the Church of $150.00 per year, payable on a monthly basis. In addition, the Session decided to apply to the Presbytery for $200.00 per year. Presumably these funds were to be used to supplement the pastor's salary.

From the records of the Maryland Historical Society (MS1362) we found that W.C. Maloy was a teacher in Centerville MD., and at the age of 31 enlisted in the 44th Mississippi Regiment of Volunteers, C.S.A. (aka Blythe's Regiment) as a Private on February 22, 1862. He was later commissioned as Chaplain by the Hon. Jefferson Davis on February 6th 1863. We also found that he was ordained as an Elder in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, following the war on March 12, 1871.

Rev. W.C. Maloy and his wife Margaret Hopkins Maloy, had five children. Rev. Maloy died on morning of January 22, 1913, in his home at 1020 McCulloh St. One obituary notice stated "he was the oldest member of the Baltimore Presbytery, and the father of Dem. State Senator William Milnes Maloy of Baltimore, MD".

An especially interesting find was a hand written list of "Ministers in my family... seen during my lifetime" by Margaret Maloy. In it she listed twelve family members in the ministry including her husband and his brother, the Rev. James Earl Maloy, a Methodist - Protestant Minister. ]

On November 23, 1897, the first brick was laid for the new Sabbath School. The School's first session was held on April 3 , 1898, with the "first distinct church service [on] Easter Sunday, April 10th when the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administered. The cost of the building was $1,370.00."

Soon after the call of Rev. Maloy, the congregation moved into a little clapboard chapel on Patapsco Avenue, just off Willow Spring road. At the time this was the 'main stem' of the little town of St. Helena / Dundalk, and ours was the first church in the community. Since there were 21 denominations represented in the congregation the church was popularly known as "The Community Church."

continued... Page II -- History from 1919 to 1941

our lineup of our Pastors...