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members lost their homes Mabel
Memorial congregation remained solvent and active. While Mabel Memorial Chapel congregation had an excess of $ 20,000 in the offering account (according to MMC treasurer) and a total of over $ 53,000 bequeathed in trust held by First Presbyterian Church of Harrisonburg (according to FPC accounting), the Presbyterian Church of USA has done nothing to protect Mabel Memorial congregation and has allowed First Presbyterian Church of Harrisonburg to move them out and market the property for commercial redevelopment.
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Soon after Easter services 2007, the mostly elderly congregation was locked out of their chapel by First
Presbyterian Church. For a while, the Mabel Memorial Chapel congregation continued to hold services outside of their chapel in hopes that First Presbyterian Church of Harrisonburg would re-open the doors to the historic chapel.
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the Daily News Record, “The church supports the effort to erect a state historic marker, Sloop said. ‘We’re all for history,’ Sloop said, ‘and celebrating the ministry of the church at that chapel.’”, no paperwork has been returned from First
Presbyterian Church to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
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In a meeting report of the First
Presbyterian Church of Harrisonburg dated August 1, 1974, the state of affairs of the chapel were discussed and a contract was agreed upon to deed the property to the congregation of Mabel Memorial after a period of three to five years under the conditions that it: be
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A history of the chapel dated 1946 by “Miss
Virginia Converse, Mrs. Hugh Tobin, Committee, Miss Harriet Garber, Historian” records the aforementioned historical information in addition to other information detailing the founders and benefactors of the chapel, in particular the charity and generosity
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Lucien G. Heneberger Amount in Fund: 250 oz of gold (According to oral history Lucien G. Heneberger left 250 ounces of gold in his will to Mabel
Memorial Chapel & Schoolhouse for the upkeep or expansion of these buildings; a review of his will in the Rockingham County Courthouse confirmed
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On numerous occasions First
Presbyterian Church of Harrisonburg has been contacted by news media, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and Mabel Memorial Congregation members and has refused to comment or respond. Despite John Sloop’s statement of support in the December 23, 2010 issue of
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In fall 2006, the more than century old metal roof began to leak. The Mabel
Memorial Chapel congregation informed First Presbyterian Church of the roof leak and inquired about using the chapel’s trust funds for repairs. First Presbyterian Church declined offers made to repair the chapel at no cost.
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The chapel remains threatened with demolition due to the large scale commercial development in the area. Despite approval to be listed on the national register of historic places, the adjacent Mabel
Memorial Schoolhouse was demolished July 2013. The first application to landmark the Mabel Memorial
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First
Presbyterian Church of Harrisonburg did not deed the chapel to the Mabel Memorial congregation as agreed, although the stipulated conditions were met and the agreement fully upheld. The Mabel Memorial congregation was unaware that the agreement was not upheld. The members invested in many
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Hundreds of acres of the area of Chestnut Ridge have been cleared for commercial construction, student housing and other apartment complexes. Most of Mabel Memorial’s congregation were displaced by this commercial development and road construction project. Despite the fact that the majority of
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Chapel was filed in 2007 with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. To date, the Commonwealth of Virginia has taken no action to protector landmark the Mabel Memorial Chapel. Another application is being prepared and will be presented to the Department of Historic Resources soon.
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The land for the chapel, schoolhouse, and cemetery was donated by Moses Wenger in 1898. The deed was registered in the Clerk’s Office on November 3, 1898, and was held in trust with the Presbyterian Church of Harrisonburg and Presbyterian Church of USA (PCUSA).
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Accounts report that the chapel’s bell was recovered from another chapel that burned down during the Civil War period. A letter from David Edwards of Virginia Department of Historic Resources makes note of this.
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provided all the building materials and much of the labor. He asked that the chapel be named in honor of his wife Mabel Grymes Heneberger who died after giving birth to their first child. Heneberger also built
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improvements (central heating and air, new shutters, new lighting, the addition of a Fellowship Hall etc.) with the understanding that the property had been deeded to them.
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used for religious purposes, assume the full responsibility of obtaining a minister and conducting their own religious services, and maintain the upkeep of the cemetery.
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Sigmans, Dan; Mabel Memorial Chapel: Commentary on Power Structures and Institutional Policies; Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Virginia 2011.
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Outdoor services were reportedly held for up to a decade before the doors of the chapel opened in 1899. Services were held in the chapel for 108 years.
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Converse, Virginia. Tobin, Mrs. Hugh. Garber, Harriet. Self-published church record, Mabel Memorial Chapel, Harrisonburg, VA 1946.
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Mellott, Jeff. “Making Its Mark: Recognition Sought For Mabel Memorial Chapel.” Daily News Record 23 December 2010: A1, A10.
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and was built in 1898. It is located in the former village of Chestnut Ridge.
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Franko, Pavol. “Save Mabel Memorial Chapel & Schoolhouse.” Feb. 2013.
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A review of the trust account information reveals the following:
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Mabel Memorial Chapel Midnight Full Moon before Easter 2007
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After being closed for more than 6 years, FPC’s policy of
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Mary & Benjamin Leake Amount in Fund: $ 4,217.70
436:Buildings and structures in Harrisonburg, Virginia
306:Edwin R.G. Heneberger Amount in Fund: $ 2,587.74
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303:Flavia Converse Amount in Fund: $ 36,059.32
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53:Learn how and when to remove these messages
161:reliable, independent, third-party sources
89:. Please do not remove this message until
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197:Learn how and when to remove this message
179:Learn how and when to remove this message
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
155:by replacing them with more appropriate
85:Relevant discussion may be found on the
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138:too closely associated with the subject
16:Building in Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA
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431:Presbyterian churches in Virginia
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136:may rely excessively on sources
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42:or discuss these issues on the
277:Recent Closing and Controversy
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91:conditions to do so are met
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441:Churches completed in 1898
244:Mabel Memorial Schoolhouse
265:of Lucien G. Heneberger.
391:http://www.savemabel.com
350:38.424611°N 78.854972°W
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355:38.424611; -78.854972
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425:Categories
365:References
327:Save Mabel
153:improve it
143:verifiable
76:neutrality
39:improve it
169:June 2021
157:citations
99:June 2021
87:talk page
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228:History
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