The Cabin at Paxton Church
by Richard Peiffer
The Cabin at Paxton Church is located between the Paxton Presbyterian Church and the Paxtang baseball field (Sausaman Park) in Paxtang, PA, east of Harrisburg. The original cabin was built between 1716 and 1720 by Scotch-Irish settlers on 20 acres of land deeded to them from the heirs of William Penn to John Forster for the use of the Presbyterian con
gregation in the area. The congregation was officially organized in 1732 and The Cabin was used as a place of worship until the present sanctuary was completed in 1740. It is not known when the original cabin was abandoned but it is assumed that it was either torn down shortly after the stone building became the center of worship or used for a period as a church sponsored primary school. A replica cabin was built in 1950 for the Boy Scouts of America, Keystone Council, Troop 59. A plaque naming Dr. Loomis Christian MD as the donor was mounted above the fireplace at the dedication. The Scout Lodge, as it came to be known, was used by the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Webelos, Cub Scouts and Brownies. Time and culture was not kind to Scouting. BSA Troop 59, the boys for whom The Cabin was built, disbanded for lack of members around 1985. A little over 20 years later, a small group of Brownies relinquished their charter and thus were the last representatives of Scouting at Paxton. With the exception of a colonial fair in 2000 and infrequent use as a story telling location for the nursery school, The Cabin was silent. The Cabin's secluded location at the top of a hill via a steep, narrow path was both a blessing and a curse. While saved from being stuffed with unused and unwanted items during a multi-million dollar church renovation, it sat neglected and nearly out of sight. If it weren't for a few dedicated men on the property committee, The Cabin would have surely gone back to the earth from whence it came. Enter a former Paxtang resident, well briefly a resident from birth to age three, who wound up back at the church where he was baptized in February of 1964. I arrived in late November of 2006, unemployed but with the support of my mother, Hazel, and the congregation of Paxton. Following nearly a year and a half of challenges, which included my mother's recovery from a stroke that occurred eight hours after I set foot in town and an seemingly endless search for a job. At first, my search yielded only part time work at the Farm Show. By April of 2008, I finally had a full time job at Triple Crown Services, a recovered mother and much singing with the Paxton Choir plus a little solo vocal work therein. The Cabin on the hill above the church sat empty and, with the exception of storage for a few items and artifacts, was virtually unused. Slowly it became obvious to me that this facility had a grander purpose. Though it may never host a group like the Scouts again but I thought it should return to its original 18th century purpose as a place of worship. One way to do this is to draw attention to a place and its usefulness, thereby generating curiosity, then interest, then ideas and, through the people positioned to make things happen, prayerfully render a wonderful result. Though the idea is mine, the location for what would become “Christmas in the Cabin” came from fellow church member Daune Palmer. She formerly worked in advertising and encouraged me to, "Get on with the things you're meant to do." In mid October 2009, I pitched "Christmas in the Cabin" and got full support from the Session of Paxton Church. Everyone knew of my love for railroading so the theme was obvious and well understood. Next came a month of checking out and cleaning out from top to bottom. Considering the long disuse, the building was in wonderful condition; having been maintained by members who were happy to see it being opened to the public again. There were a few shortcomings: no heat (except by wood fueled fire), no restrooms, limited electrical power, limited nearby parking and access via a long walk up a steep hill. Well, it was built for the Boy Scouts! Some things were difficult. The cobwebs were so thick that I ruined a small Shop-Vac so I purchased a new and larger one. Some things were unusual. The main lighting came from small lamps mounted on a wagon wheel which hung by three chains from the rafters. The wheel is an original Conestoga! So was the wiring, though not nearly as old as the wheel but in dire need of replacement. I had to combine skills of 19th century wheelwrights and 20th century electricians. Twenty years serving our country in nuclear powered submarines didn't exactly prepare me for this but the final results were more than satisfactory in all respects. By Thanksgiving, all was ready in The Cabin for constructing displays. I put up tables for a train layout with three gauges of track, a low table for a wooden train play set, a bump-and-go handcar which ran across the fireplace mantle, Christmas decorations and railroad artifacts. In short; anyone who had been in this cabin within the last decade was in for a real surprise. Christmas in the Cabin 2009 was a success and, along with a new mid-Summer event in 2010 called Patriot Camp, sponsored by the Borough of Paxtang and my other two events; Freedom Trains and Railway Safety for Kids (see Photo Albums), attention was drawn, curiosity was well satisfied and interest in the Cabin was growing. The year 2012 saw Patriot Camp continue but my schedule at my new job at Amtrak cancelled all my events. Also, there had been an ongoing tree planting over the entire 20 acre grove surrounding the church that stretched from 2010 through 2013. I purchased a Sunset Maple in honor of my mother in 2012. It is located at the top of The Grove next to The Cabin. It has a plaque on the North side welcoming visitors to The Grove and another on the South dedicated to my mother, Hazel Peiffer. As I said, "Draw attention to a place and its usefulness, thereby generating curiosity, then interest, then ideas and, through the people positioned to make things happen, prayerfully render a wonderful result." The first worship service held in The Cabin at Paxton Church since 1985 occurred on Sunday, January 20th, 2013. Sadly, I could not attend the first service. At 4:45am, I was informed that my mother, who had been ill and in the hospital since January 5th, was fading fast. She died at 5:00am. I paid a visit, sang "How Great Thou Art", made some arrangements and went to work. I was scheduled to work at the Lancaster Station that morning. The first announcement at that first service was of my mother's passing. Worship services at The Cabin at Paxton Church occurred four times in 2013. Patriot Camp, Freedom Trains and Christmas in the Cabin all happened too. This page will chronicle the story of the 21st Century Cabin at Paxton Church. Richard Peiffer
December 2013
Revised November 2015
