Cornwall Borough resident Bruce Chadbourne offers another of his installments of Cornwall history.
This past Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 24-25, Coleman Memorial Chapel in Brickerville celebrated its 150th anniversary with events on the grounds of the chapel on Saturday and additional events and tours of Elizabeth Furnace on Sunday.
Read More: Coleman Memorial Chapel to celebrate 150th anniversary of cornerstone laying
Among the events, men emerged from Coleman’s cornfield as “1870s baseballers” to play a spirited game before an appreciative crowd.
At 3 p.m. Saturday, church members and the public gathered in the chapel for a special worship service for the opening of a time capsule that was sealed in the church walls 150 years ago.
The cornerstone of the chapel had been laid on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 1874, to commemorate the tragic death of 14-year-old James Coleman, who fell from a horse on March 3, 1874. He was the eldest son of G. Dawson and Deborah Coleman. The chapel was completed two years later in 1877 and G. Dawson Coleman died the following year.
As reported at that time by Lebanon Daily News, the cornerstone contained an 8×12-inch leaden box, in which were placed coins, currency, and copies of newspapers from Lebanon, New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. Additionally included were photographs, including one of James Coleman (his photo above is a stock photo), lists of parishioners, and a history of the Elizabeth Farms Sabbath school.
A service of remembrance and celebration in 2024
The 1874 dedication service had included hymns, scripture readings and prayers. On this past Sunday, the 3 p.m. service repeated the same service, singing “Come Thou Almighty King,” “Christ is Our Cornerstone,” and “Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken.”
Council president Ken Maurer spoke words of welcome. Ralph Hirner appeared in costume, representing G. Dawson Coleman, and Sheila Kyle likewise as Deborah Coleman, offering the prayer.
Hugh Benedict sang a solo “Humble Heart,” an old Shaker hymn.
Surprise ending
Pastor Karen Bachman provided remarks to precede the opening of the time capsule. She confessed to those assembled that the time capsule had already been opened several days prior to assess its contents and to prepare them for display.
Given the anticipation and suspense of a time capsule-opening, the surprising and disappointing outcome was that nearly all of the paper documents had been reduced to dust with the exceptions of a few legible fragments. These were arranged for display in a glass case (see photo).
Mostly discernible were selections from a hymnal. About 15 coins were displayed in a similar case, along with the now-empty leaden box.
Rev. Bachman said that over the next few weeks the congregation will be deliberating what items they wish placed back into the cornerstone for another 150 years. Stay tuned!
A 34-page commemorative booklet (below) was featured at the event; copies are still available for purchase at Coleman Memorial Chapel.
Touring the Grounds of Historic Elizabeth Furnace
On Sunday, a large crowd turned out at Elizabeth Furnace to attend three lectures that were held in the stable venue and to tour the historic grounds. Featured on the grounds were tours of the first floor of the private mansion, opened on this special occasion.
James Polczynski, author of “Souls of Iron” (2022) spoke on the history of the Coleman family and their iron dynasty.
Read More: Local author’s new book covers over 150 years of Coleman family history
Dan Snyder, known for his broad historic interests in Lancaster, Manheim and Cornwall, provided details and findings of the ongoing archaeological dig that has been in progress on the grounds for the last 20 years.
Lititz historian Cory Van Brookhoven provided an entertaining presentation, “Mysterious Lititz Ghosts, True Crime, UFOs and More.”
Visitors were able to visit the site of the old Elizabeth furnace, subject of the archaeological dig and also toured the old Huber house, which contained artifacts from the dig.
Acknowledgements
Today the Coleman Memorial Chapel has an active congregation that holds weekly Sunday worship services, special events like a car show and Christmas bazaar, and various fundraisers throughout the year. The Christmas candlelight service is truly a walk back in time when the kerosene lanterns are lighted.
Elizabeth Furnace is operated by Craig Coleman as an elegant and picturesque event and wedding venue.
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