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6.07.2016

Tiny Chapel: Decker's Chapel in St. Marys, PA, Elk County

In 1842, a group of German Bavarian Catholics set up a village in St. Marys, PA at the cost of 75 cents an acre. They wanted to escape the religious and racial persecution in the cities of Baltimore and Philadelphia. It is easy to picture this little farming village tucked away in this rural area. One man by the name of Decker had an orchard and fell down from one of his fruit trees. He was seriously injured, and promised that if he recovered, he would build a chapel. The end result was this 12 foot by 18 foot chapel, known for being one of the smallest chapels in existence. It is smaller than the chapel down in Silver Spring, WV that claims to be "the smallest." Either way, this is one tiny little chapel and a remnant of old St. Marys, PA.

Mr. Decker built his chapel in 1856, just before his son was ordained into the priesthood.
A plaque memorializing Mr. Decker's son. 

It does not appear that the chapel is in use, but needless to say, this is one odd thing that you should definitely check out in the PA Great Outdoors Region.

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