This afternoon our family had the pleasure of attending a hymn sing at the 1855 Alleghany Mennonite Meetinghouse. (The usual Pennsylvania spelling of "Allegheny" was not used for this church for some reason.) The singing was robust and lively; the setting was quaint and peaceful.
The Mennonites first lived in this area when a Native American offered to show Jacob Bowman, a descendant of Swiss Mennonites, some good hunting lands back in 1745. Bowman received a land grant and settled here, living at peace with the Native Americans all of his life. The Mennonite group in this area met in homes and shared a meetinghouse with the Reformed and Lutheran congregations until this meetinghouse was built in 1855. The cemetery directly across the street has gravestones that date back to the early 1700s. One of those just happens to be an ancestor of one of my students.
The preachers and song leaders sat at the center table.
These hooks are for the men's hats.
This was the nursery, with a window opening to the main room.
Several of the gravestones were written in German.