This is a cemetery cache. Dawn to dusk only, no night caching. Do not park at the old church, it's now private property. Park on the road or in the single space in front of the gate, enter cemetery roadside, not churchside. Do not drive into the cemetery. This is a very small cemetery, it's also still active.
This cache is a part of the one room school, house of worship and spirit quest (cemetery) cache series.
HISTORY FROM THE ATTICA HISTORICAL BOOK (with additions):
Reverend Peter Ropp came from Pigeon around 1916 and purchased a farm at the corner of Winslow and Hunters Creek Road. Following him were several other families, all who purchased farms in Attica, Imlay and Dryden Townships. On March 20, 1918, Sunday school and church services were started. They were held at the old Mattoon School that was on Ropp's farm. School continued through the week. The congregation continued to grow and included 25 charter members. Working together, the moved an old abandoned Baptist church building from 3/4 of a mile away to it's present location (this church sat 1/2 mile north of Hunters Creek Road on Winslow Road, approximately where I-69 crosses today). The historic book says the church was placed next door to the school, where others said the foundation is that of the old school. I agree with the book, that Mattoon School and Bethany Mennonite sat side by side. A two acre parcel was donated by Reverend Peter Ropp for the church building and cemetery. Completion and dedication was held September 22, 1918. The church continued regular use and celebrated it's 50th anniversary May 19, 1968. By the 1980's, attendance had dropped so low that in December 1985, the Mennonite Church closed for good. The last minister was Reverend Lloyd Miller. It reopened in the 1990's as the Church of David. By 2014, the church was again closed and placed for sale in 2015. It was purchased in the spring of 2016, unknown use.
Mattoon School log shanty school's location is marked with cache GC6JGQ6.