Active Preservation Work
Our Projects
Two active projects — one church, one cemetery — each a direct connection to the families who built life in Blair's Valley.
Active Preservation Work
Two active projects — one church, one cemetery — each a direct connection to the families who built life in Blair's Valley.
13722 Blairs Valley Rd, Mercersburg, PA 17236 · Est. 1844 · Acquired November 2024
The Blairs Valley Union Church is one of the oldest surviving structures in the valley. Built in 1844 from hand-hewn logs by the farming families who settled the area, it served as the spiritual and community heart of Blair's Valley for generations. Families were married here, children baptized, neighbors buried in the small churchyard nearby.
When Blair's Valley Conservation Group founder William Leasure learned that the property was at risk of development, he moved quickly to acquire it. In November 2024 the church came under the organization's stewardship — preserved from subdivision and committed to restoration.
The building is structurally sound but shows the wear of nearly 180 years. The roof is the most urgent need — deteriorating sections allow water infiltration that accelerates decay in the historic log walls. The original interior remains largely intact, including original pews, plaster walls, and a remarkable antique oval portrait of Christ that still hangs inside.
"The original pews are still there. The picture of Christ is still on the wall. It just needs someone to care for it."
Exterior today — hand-hewn log construction, c. 1844
The church in its wooded valley setting
Original interior — pews and plaster intact
Antique portrait of Christ still on the original wall
Early congregation gathered in front of the church — believed to be early 1900s
The church was built circa 1844 and served multiple denominations over the years — reflecting its name, "Union Church," a common arrangement where several Protestant congregations shared one building.
The original log-and-chink construction is visible on all four exterior walls. Inside, hand-hewn ceiling beams, wide-plank floors, and the surviving furnishings tell the story of a modest but cherished rural congregation.
Blairs Valley Union Church — 13722 Blairs Valley Rd, Mercersburg, PA
Blair's Valley, Mercersburg, PA · Active since mid-1800s
The Lawson Cemetery is one of Blair's Valley's most tangible connections to the families who first settled the area. Enclosed by a remarkable Victorian cast-iron fence and gate, the cemetery holds the graves of multiple generations of the Lawson family — one of the valley's founding families — dating from the mid-1800s onward.
The cemetery fell into neglect over the decades. Vegetation overtook the grounds, vines and brush engulfed the iron fence, and the headstones were gradually swallowed by overgrowth. The before-and-after above shows the transformation — headstones that were buried in brush are now clearly visible, legible, and properly maintained.
Blair's Valley Conservation Group founder William Leasure is a direct descendant of the Lawson family — one of the reasons this cemetery holds such personal significance to the preservation effort. When William learned that land in Blair's Valley, including the historic Union Church, was at risk of development, he moved quickly. As an active duty U.S. Army Officer, he committed his personal time to establishing BVCG as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and acquiring the property before it could be lost. The Lawson Cemetery is not just a preservation project — it is family.
The ornate cast-iron fence, a remarkable piece of 19th-century craftsmanship, is being cleared and assessed for restoration. The fence's decorative finials and scrollwork are largely intact despite decades of neglect.
"These are my people. This is their story — and it almost disappeared."
Victorian cast-iron fence — ornate detail, c. 1870s
The cemetery as it appeared in the early 1900s
The Lawson family, c. 1919 — on the farmstead porch
This family Bible records the births of the Lawson children in careful copperplate handwriting, beginning with Jacob Snyder Lawson, born July 8, 1828. Ten children are listed across two pages — James, Elizabeth, John, Sarah Catherine, Michael, David, Isaac, Simon, and Thomas C. Lawson.
Michael Lawson, born August 23, 1841, is among those whose headstone stands in the cemetery today. His stone reads: Michael Lawson, Born Aug 23d 1841, Died Oct 19, 1923. Aged 82 years 1 month 26 days.
The Bible is a rare surviving artifact that ties the names on the headstones to living family history — a primary source for anyone tracing Lawson family genealogy in Franklin County.