Mary Chase was born in 1779 in Bethel, Vermont. At age sixteen, she married Philander Chase, who was seeking ordination as an Episcopal priest. After being ordained, Philander's devotion to his ministry led them to Poughkeepsie, New York, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Hartford, Connecticut. Called to preach in the "unconquered West," the Chases arrived in Worthington in 1817, when Philander became the first deacon of the St. John's Episcopal Church. During his five-year tenure with St. John's, Philander often had serious conflicts with James Kilbourne, Worthington's founder. Sadly, Mary died in 1818, less than one year after arriving in Worthington.
Mary Jane Bellay, Library Associate at Worthington Libraries, relays Mary's tale of woe as she haunts the churchyard at St. John's Episcopal Church.
View more videos at Worthington Libraries' Programs to Go:
http://www.worthingtonlibraries.org/programs2go/
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