Ben Austrian, Kempton, Berks County

I'm pretty familiar with the tiny community of Kempton. I used to volunteer monthly at Hawk Mountain, which dominates the landscape. Every fourth Sunday I'd drive through Kempton, an extremely pretty place at the foot of the Kittatinny Ridge mountains, and judge how close I was to being late for my shift by the visual landmarks along the way. One thing that always caught my eye was the distant hill dotted with white headstones; I always thought to myself that I should drive over sometime and actually have a look at Historic New Bethel Church (as the sign calls it), but I never got around to actually doing so.

Then this blog happened, and there turned out to be a marker there, so I finally made the drive.

Derry Church and Churchyard, Hershey, Dauphin County

Four times a year (barring unexpected circumstances), I make the trek to Dauphin County, where the White Rose Irregulars of York gather in a private room at Leeds Restaurant and Lounge. We're what's called a scion society of the Baker Street Irregulars, and get together quarterly to share our mutual love of all things related to Sherlock Holmes. A few of them promised to read this, so in case they did - hi everybody! Also, when dining at Leeds, I  can't say enough good things about the fish and chips, which are the best I've had anywhere, or about Anne, our designated server.

This past weekend was our summer gathering, and I brought my best friend Andrea with me for her first foray into Sherlockiana. Since we were sort of in the neighborhood, I proposed that on the way home, we stop in the wonderful community of Hershey to see if we couldn't collect a few markers for this blog. We picked up a few pieces of chocolate and then went to Derry Presbyterian Church, which has the distinction of being home to two markers. As such, this piece is a little longer than usual, and has more photos too.

Edited 5/8/2024: This blog post is now available as a podcast episode! Learn even more facts about God's Acre by listening today on Spotify or your preferred podcast provider.