Weekend Report

We had a full weekend and it was a lot of fun. We left home about 7:15 Saturday morning and got back at 6 p.m. I was scheduled to be one of the speakers at the Annual Meeting of the Juniata Mennonite Historical Society held at the Susquehanna Mennonite Church. I was asked to speak about my book, Aaron's Civil War, which is related to the Mennonites in Snyder County.

The meeting was very well attended with double the number that usually show up. The bus they had lined up for the afternoon tour could not hold everyone who wanted to go so they made quick arrangements and got a second bus.

Here are a few things we saw on the tour.

 

 Cemetery where "Long John" is buried. He was an Indian who attended the Mennonite church.

 

Inside the Stauffer Mennonite church on Produce Road. The bench along the wall is where the ordained men sit. The long table with benches on either side is where the song leaders sit.

 

Stauffer Mennonite riding mower

 

Locust Grove school where the Susquehanna Mennonite Church operated a mission outpost for about ten years.

 

Susquehanna Mennonite Church today, now a part of the Keystone Fellowship.

 

Seichrist cemetery. Because of the overnight rain we were not able to get into the Brubaker cemetery in a field lane. I know where it is now so I'll go back someday.

 

We left early again on Sunday morning to teach our Sunday school classes at Quakertown. Instead of staying for lunch as we usually do, we came home and got a nap so we could go again in the evening. Our church was giving a program at a sister church near Manheim. I wanted to go early so I could get a few pictures of a farm in Rapho Township.

This is a farm on Mill Road that was purchased by immigrant Peter Good in 1753. He passed it on to his son who later sold it out of the family.

In his will, Peter described this as poor land which would not provide much of a living. From the size of the corn, this looks like productive land now. I was happy to be able to snap these pictures in time to include them in an article I'm planning to submit tomorrow. We only had to go about a mile or so out of the way to get them and it was a photo-friendly evening.