Good Hope at 150
1966-present

Good Hope Church Lives On

Around 1958 Bev Bucholz Miller worked at what was then the Oil City National Bank as a teller. She was also assigned to handle all the "demolition accounts". That included a number of churches, including the Good Hope Lutheran Church that sat on the corner of West First and Petroleum Streets. She was on site as the church was being torn down and the stones, and any broken or damaged stained glass windows, considered scrap, disposed off over an embankment by the Allegheny River. . As her father and brother owned and operated Bucholz Auto Salvage in Dempseytown she was aware of the value of what was being discarded but also was distressed to see so much beautiful history being discarded. With the permission of the demolition company she would return in the evenings with a pick-up truck and salvaged what she could.

She and her husband bought an old home in the Dempseytown area and set about refurbishing the stones; creating a one of a kind fireplace and hearth. One stone appears to be the corner stone and is dated 1905 with a notation “N.1” as well as a set of initials that, unfortunately, she doe not know who or what they refer to. Without any training in stained glass repair, Bev taught herself how to re-lead glass and restored what she could and installed them in her home. One piece of glass is further identified with a name - Ed Roess. She speculates the donor of the window. Having no context for the window in its entirety; the largest piece she repaired remained a puzzle. With time She began to realize it was a piece of The Path to Gethsemane.