The cache is located near Historic St. Mary's Church.
St. Mary’s, the fourth oldest Catholic Church in the colonies, third oldest in Pennsylvania, was founded by a German Jesuit priest, Fr. William Wappler, in 1741. It was established under the name of “The Mission of St. John Nepomucene” and was part of the Diocese of London, England. Land was purchased in 1742 and a log church was build where the school and convent now stand. The parish was comprised of Lancaster, Lebanon, Dauphin and Chester counties. In 1760, the log church burned to the ground.
In 1762, the second church building built of limestone blocks was cuompleted on the same site, constructed by the men and women of the parish.
In 1852, the ground was broken for the third and current church building. The contractor, Hayden Smith, used stones from the old Lancaster jail to construct the foundation. In 1867, the church was damaged by a fire which started in the furnace in the basement. Much of the church was damaged but the walls were still standing. Reconstruction was done by the Philadelphia architect E.F. Durang, known for work on many Philadelphia churches and for the Fulton Opera House in Lancaster and the York Opera House. The walls were increased in height and the flat roof was replaced with a vaulted ceiling and a steep roof. In 1881, the old stone church was removed and construction began on the convent/school building.
If the church is open you may want to take a look at the interior. All of the artwork, the paintings above the altars, the stained glass windows, the frescoes above the windows, the statue of St. Mary and the Stations of the Cross were added in the 1880’s and 1890’s. The marble altars were also installed at this time. Several other statues, the ambo, the baptismal font and the beautiful organ were added by 1920.
The cache is located outside the building and is very accessible. You need to bring your own pen. No tools are needed to obtain the cache. Please replace it as you found it. During Mass times there will be many muggles present. Parking is available on the street. The cache has been placed with the permission of the Church.