Westernport experiences a flood of relief 

WESTERNPORT – Beloved antiques fill every room at Boal Funeral Home, but everything else is brand new, from the floors to the freshly painted ceiling. On a reconfigured sitting-room wall, a series of photographs tells why the 122-year-old business, on Church Street since 1937, has a new look. 

It is a story familiar to many in Westernport: a story of nature’s power, resilience, faith and community. 

Heavy rains May 13 caused Georges Creek to overflow its banks, while the Potomac River was too full to accept the creek’s flow. Within minutes, water rushed down Church Street, flooding everything in its path. 

“I was trapped inside of here,” said Theresa Boal, a parishioner of St. Peter in Westernport and owner of the funeral home, recalling that fateful day. “There was no time to do anything.” 

Just a few houses down, Martha McConnell was working with another parishioner inside St. Peter’s rectory, part of Divine Mercy Parish in Frostburg, when she noticed the creek cresting. 

“We just got out of here in time,” McConnell said. “I bet it wasn’t 15 to 20 minutes later it flooded.” 

Floodwaters broke through the basements of both the church and rectory, damaging everything, including boilers and furnaces. At Boal’s business, water rushed in the back door, filled every room, and spilled onto the street. 

“We spent days pulling mud out of here,” Boal said, in early November. “It happened the 13th. By the 16th, this place was gutted and dry. I had the first service here last week.” 

Help poured in from across the region. Father Scott Kady, pastor of Divine Mercy, saw license plates from five states among volunteers of all faiths – Catholics, Mennonites and more – pitching in. 

“It really showed me how the words of Jesus pertain to the present,” Father Kady said. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 

During the flood, St. Peter’s parking lot sheltered several people until they could get inside the church. Afterward, the lot served as a staging area for gas companies and other relief efforts. 

“People had no gas, no water,” Father Kady said. “Lowe’s and Walmart donated shovels and boots – everything to help clean up.” 

The Archdiocese of Baltimore contributed $194,427 through a special appeal to support recovery. 

“With all that money that came in, it was just amazing. We were able to help 157 people,” Father Kady said. The church partnered with Allegany County Human Services to distribute the funds efficiently. 

“They had systems in place (that) we didn’t, to distribute the money,” he said. “Insurance covered the damage to our three properties.” 

Other parish properties also suffered. St. Gabriel in Barton, part of Divine Mercy, had its basement – the church’s social hall – flooded. Boal’s second funeral home location in Barton, even closer to Georges Creek, escaped damage. 

The photos on the Westernport wall show the floodwaters racing down Church Street, the mud, the destruction and the people who came to help clean up. 

Boal said she’s grateful to the many volunteers who helped that day and in the days that followed.  

While she was trapped in her business May 13, Boal’s son was stuck at the elementary school. Later, the smell of gas prompted a boat evacuation of everyone. 

“The crazy thing is, my faith in God, I promise you, it changed a lot,” Boal said, her voice filled with emotion. “Because, I thought, ‘No one died.’ That’s amazing.”  

A river runs through it 

In the rectory of St. Peter in Westernport, an undated photo begs for a story. It shows the 1873 church standing just steps from the North Branch of the Potomac River. 

Today, Church Street runs beside the church, while the river flows behind the homes across the street. How and when the river moved remains a mystery. 

Father Scott Kady, a native of the region and pastor of Divine Mercy in Frostburg (the pastorate that includes St. Peter), recalled hearing growing up that those homes sat on a natural island dividing the river in front of the church. It is said the owners of West Virginia Pulp and Paper Mill redirected the river because they wanted their mill on the Maryland side, not in West Virginia. The mill, most recently Verso Paper Co., closed in May 2019. 

The Potomac River belongs entirely to the state of Maryland, forming the boundary with West Virginia. Father Edward Hendricks, pastor of Divine Mercy from 2016 to 2023, first heard stories of the river’s relocation when he served as associate pastor at St. Peter from 1977 to 1981. Now retired, he believes the river was moved in the late 1800s or early 1900s, though he knows no specifics. 

A Westvaco Corporation entry on ­encyclopedia.com notes that the river shifted, placing the company in Luke, Md., but gives no explanation. An AI review suggested erosion and uplift pushed the river south. 

Dave Mock, second vice president of the Westernport Heritage Society, is confident the river’s movement “was definitely done by the mill or some other entity in the late 1800s early 1900s,” though he concedes the mill’s involvement may be “local legend” due to a “lack of definite proof.” Other society members have heard that Maryland may have played a role because it wanted the mill.  

Email Katie V. Jones at kjones@CatholicReview.org 

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