Ridge Valley Signs

If you have been calling Ridge Valley “the twin churches,” Charles Guenst and the West Rockhill Historical Society would like a word with you.

To dispel any misunderstandings or mislabeling of local territories, four new signs have been provided by the West Rockhill Historical Society. The signs adorn each entrance to the Village of Ridge Valley: two of the signs are on Allentown Road, coming from each direction; one on Finland Road; and the last on Ridge Valley Road. Each sign reads, “Village of Ridge Valley. Circa 1750.”

Guenst, a Ridge Valley resident, is the only person who has ever been born in the Ridge Valley schoolhouse. Guenst’s family members have been Ridge Valley residents since the 1890s. Ridge Valley is integral to his identity, he said.

Prior to the installation of the signs, Guenst said he was concerned that everyone would remember Ridge Valley as the “twin churches,” due to the two historical churches on Allentown Road: St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and Ridge Valley United Church. With his desire for clarification, he inspired the historical society to take on the project.

The WRHS worked for nearly six months on installing the signs, according to Brenda Phelan of the WRHS. The society must hold a member vote to determine whether or not the action and cost are acceptable.

Historical identity is everything to a town and the people who reside there,” Phelan wrote in an email. “A town’s identity tells others where these people came from, what their beliefs are, how they lived, loved, worshiped, survived good and bad times. It helps us know who we are and where we are going.”  Phelan and the historical society wish to “protect, preserve and educate,” and with the installation of the signs, “we are doing all three,” she wrote.

For the full Article see the News Herald The story is in the Sunday, August 11 edition and written byTim Halteman