When I drive from my home in Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania south to Rt. 422 I will take the charming, woodsey backway known as Neiffer Rd. About midway in my journey I pass an old church that would appear abandoned and is clearly unused except that it shows signs of being kept as a museum or antique by someone or some group that loves it very much. So as my peculiar form of meditation and reverence on this Good Friday I stopped at the church, took these pictures, and began this pictorial.
I have asked a German friend of mine to help me read the stone on the left (above). Here is what we think it says -
"Hier
rusten die ge-
beine der verliorbenen
MARIA SCHUMACHER
Sie war gebohrenden im
April 1762 und starb den
12 von July 1803. ihre
alter ??? 3 month
???? Tage"
My German is a bit rusty but I think this would be translated -
"Here rests the bones of the beloved Maria Schumacher. She was born in April 1762 and died on the 12th of July 1803. (41 years, 3 months and ??? days.)"
The church (called a chapel) is smallish but looks like it could easily seat 100 congregants. It sits on an unpaved lot rather close to Neiffer Road. Note that until just the last few years Neiffer would have been a quiet country road. Behind the church - from where I took the photo above is an old church graveyard.
I have done a full webpage of this old church with more pictures and background information here:
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