Wilmington's first Catholic church grew into the Cathedral of Saint Peter, on West 6th Street in Wilmington, Delaware. This block — the cathedral church, rectory, convent and school building — is part of the Quaker Hill Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the early 19th century Catholics here had no parish of their own; visiting priests celebrated Mass in private homes until Reverend Patrick Kenny, in 1816, leased land on Hanover (Sixth) and West Streets to build the first Catholic church in Wilmington.
Kenny hired Pierre Bauduy, the planner of the Wilmington town hall, to design the new building. The cornerstone was laid in 1816 and the Romanesque-style brick church measured 30 by 40 feet. St. Peter's was dedicated on September 12, 1818, and Kenny celebrated the first Mass the next day.
In 1829 the congregation added a bell tower and expanded the structure to its current length of 60 feet (18 m). Picture Father Kenny celebrating that first Mass in 1818, and follow the brickwork to the rectory, convent, and school nearby.