Monroe Valley Chapel

Jonestown, PA - In the Monroe Valley near Lickdale, early settlers built a small, one-story fieldstone chapel between 1760 and 1800. Known as the Monroe Valley Chapel, this building was once the… see below

The History of the Monroe Valley Chapel

Located near Lickdale, now Swatara Township, the Monroe Valley Chapel is a small, one-story fieldstone chapel built by early settlers between 1760 and 1800 and likely used first by Moravians. Once serving as both a church and school, it became solely a chapel after local schoolhouses were constructed in the mid-1800s. The pulpit, initially near the entrance, was later moved by the Lutherans. Known as the Monroe Valley Meeting House by 1869, its last minister served from 1911 to 1917. Surrounding the chapel is a burial ground with up to 150 graves, some dating back to early settlers, including those killed by Native Americans. Over time, the property deteriorated and was occupied by squatters from the 1940s to the 1970s. Efforts to clean and restore the chapel and cemetery are ongoing, with historical research continuing to uncover more details about the valley’s early German settlers and their struggles.