The 53rd in the Rest 'n Peace - Centre County series takes us into Philipsburg proper, and specifically to the Old Mud Church that has served this community for over 200 years. I was fortunate enough to meet with the mayor of Philipsburg (John Streno) while scouting this location and he gave me a tour of the building and pointed out interesting burials on the grounds. Fun fact: The original building was a log-style cabin, and the logs still exist inside the stuccoed walls of the current building!
The front vestibule and rear store room of the church are 'new' additions, having been added after the original mud-wall packed logs were stacked in 1820. The first known burial in this location was the infant daughter (Sally) of one of the towns first founders, John George Schultz and his wife Rosalie, who were the only town founding family out of 12 to remain in Philipsburg until their own deaths. They are both buried here with their daughter. Other notable burials here include a veteran of the Revolutionary War the first farming family in Rush Township.
On a more somber note, you may also notice communal burials, especially for infants. The Test family suffered a dual loss and chose a burial of this nature.
As with any cemetery cache, please be respectful of those buried here and be careful when visiting. Nearly every inch of ground has a marker or plot of some sort, and the entire graveyard is ringed in a stone wall with sharp vertical copes. The cache is hidden in one of the few locations that did not have any known burials, so please use stealth when finding this so the hide lasts.