It can be said that the dedication of Emma Walter was important to ensuring the
building still stands today .
For many years, Emma was the only attendee of services here, although there would occasionally be others who would visit, but those instances were rare. Gary told us that she puts signs in the yard saying something to the effect of “no games or playing in the yard”. Emma passed away in 1930 at age 89 and is now buried in the cemetery at the Meeting House. Inside the building, visitors will see Emma’s rocking chair where she would spend a lot of her time. After Emma’s death, the Meeting House stopped being used as a place of worship. The property was eventu- ally purchased by the borough of Catawissa in 1967. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. During our visit which saw a good number of folks attending the history tour, we were invited to sit on the straight-backed benches inside. The Meeting House is divid- ed into two sections with a wall between that opens up to join
the sections. This was to divide the men’s and women’s groups while each conducted “business” which may have included acts such as sharing recipes or homesteading ideas. The divider could then be opened for the meeting. The interior features unfinished white pine boards that have a peculiar smooth finish. Although of simple construction design, there are elements of great craftmanship such as the door latches or even the hand forged hook that holds the room divider. There are two stoves in the
Emma’s Rocking Chair
building with one on each side. The men’s side has a stove made in Valley Forge while the women’s side
features a stove made in “Cattawissa”. It does not take much imagina- tion to get a feel for the atmosphere of when folks gathered here so very long ago. As I mentioned before, it is so authentic that it seems
Catawissa House Cemetery
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October–December • 2026
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