Alberton Road in Patapsco State Park (Maryland, US) at one time led to the town of Daniels. The town and the road were destroyed when hurricane Agnes flooded the Patapsco River valley in 1972. Along the trail is much evidence of the community that once thrived in this old mill town. One of the ruins is the St. Stanislaus Kostka Roman Catholic Church that was built in the 1800s and stood until a fire destroyed it in 1926. The remains of the church and its cemetery now lie in the forest that is slowly taking over the site. If you're interested in a bit more information, old photos of the church can be seen here: http://www.thefirering.com/ROP_Stanislaus.php.

I recently hiked to the church to photograph the remain. As I approached the site, my first views were of the cemetery and some of its grave stones.

Walking west through the cemetery one enters the remains of the church. A few stone walls, along with their arched entries, are visible, but most have crumbled leaving the individual construction stones scattered on the ground. Even though it is the middle of winter, there is abundant evidence that the forest is reclaiming this land.

The woods are reclaiming the land, but St.Stan's is a wonderful site to visit when hiking in Patapsco State Park.

Best wishes,

Bob

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Ruins of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church (Patapsco State Park)