This vintage image of the Turkeyfoot Regular Baptist Church near Ursina, Somerset County, PA, also known as the "Jersey Church," is not dated and the faces are not identified. The Jersey congregation is the the oldest church west of the Allegheny Mountains.

The grave markers at far left appear to be topped in mounds of fresh earth and one instance marked with a small United States flag and covered with flowers. This suggests that the event could have been a Memorial Day commemoration of the military fallen, also known in the era as "Decoration Day." Two older men wear hats bearing the insignia of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), an organization of Union Army veterans of the Civil War veterans from the Union Army.

More than 25 major branches of our cousins have been involved with this body of believers over the centuries as co-founders, members and donors. Some 170-plus souls repose in the long sleep of the ages in the sacred soil of its adjoining cemetery. The church was the site of the 1929 Harbaugh Reunion , and hosted other early Memorial Day activities honoring GAR members . Click to view this website's Jersey Church page with lists of cousin-members, cemetery burials, an enlargement of this month's image, 1929 Harbaugh Reunion and rare images of Grand Army of the Republic celebrations.

VisitPITTSBURGH is the promotional sponsor of this page. Be sure to get a copy of the Greater Pittsburgh Convention & Visitors Bureau's Official Visitor's Guide, a 25-page workbook to help event organizers stay on track, no matter what type of reunion or meeting they are planning to hold. The booklet features a page of ideas by the founder of this website, headlined "Take It from a Professional."

Copyright © 2026 Mark A. Miner