This building was torn down in the late 1970 s Luther Family Millstone Memorial Roger Luther who lived nearby at the time, remembers when that one room school building was demolished in 1978. The memorial site has been kept neat by the adjacent current property owner. The main bronze tablet reads as follows: The Luther Memorial Located along Ross Mt. Park Road Between Ligonier and New Florence PA The above memorial to the Luther Family was dedicated on September 2 nd, 1924. Many members of the R.M. Luther family were present on that day. R.M. Luther himself was present, and was serving as the president of the Luther Reunion. Present for the event was Findley Luther, perhaps the oldest person present, and a figure in our own Luther genealogy. We have a copy of the The Daily Tribune article covering the unveiling ceremony. Members of your family present included, in addition to R.M. Luther, were Grandma Luther, Ted & his wife to be, Violet Smith, Lydia Belle, William, Martin, Harold (Sam), & George among many others. The millstone came from a grist mill owned by Jonathan Luther, and was placed on land owned by the Luther Family. The memorial was later moved a short distance after that land was sold, and is now located along Ross Mt. Park Road at the site where for many years there was a one room school house, often referred to as the Luther School. Erected To The Memory of David Luther A Revolutionary War Soldier. and to the Members of the Luther... Family who lived on this farm and served in the Civil War. The First Seven Were Brothers and Sons of Jonathan Luther, Owner of the Grist. Mill from which this Stone was Taken The tablet on the bottom left lists these names: David Luther, Wm. Luther,
Samuel C. Luther, John Luther, Benj. E. Luther and Amos Luther. The tablet at the bottom right lists these names: All of these names are our distant relatives who served in the civil and revolutionary wars. John A. Luther would have been the first cousin s Great Grandfather. James M. Luther MD, Findley P Luther, Joseph G. Luther, Jesse Luther, James Luther, and John A. Luther MD. This last name John A. Luther, MD was R.M. Luther s father who practiced medicine and dentistry. The newspaper article from 1924 had the picture at right of R.M. Luther The Luther Memorial
Here is a copy of the newspaper article from 1924
Part of the article reads as follows: The members of the Luther Family Association held a very enjoyable reunion at the Luther homestead in Fairfield Twp. near here, and dedicated a suitable bronze marker to the memory of the progenitors of the family, including David Luther, who was born near Philadelphia. David Luther was the son of James Luther, a native of Scotland, who came to America, prior to the war of Independence, in which David Luther served as a private under Washington. David Luther was one of the settlers of Westmoreland County and lived there at the time when the Indians frequently stormed his cabin. His son Jonathan Luther served in the War of 1812, the second war for independence, and seven of his sons were soldiers in the Civil War. Jonathon Luther followed the twin pursuits of farming and milling, and the stone on which the tablets have been placed came from his old mill.
Directions: From Ligonier: Follow Rt. 711 South for approximately 2.4 miles toward New Florence, PA, to where Rt. 271 splits off at a Sheetz convenience store. Go right onto Rt. 271 at the Y, and go approximately 2.6 miles thru Waterford, PA, and to the Green Mt. Cemetery. Turn left onto Ross Mt. Park Road, across from the cemetery. Follow Ross Mt. Park Road approximately 2.6 more miles to the Luther Memorial on the left, at the top of a small hill. The GPS location for the memorial is as follows: N 40.17.230 W 079.07.551 The elevation is 1527 feet. The physical address is 631 Ross Mountain Park Road, New Florence, PA Interesting Story: First cousin Lois Luther Beam Powell, (eldest daughter of Newt Luther) delighted in telling the story of how she crawled through the hole in the memorial at the dedication ceremony. She was a very small child at the time. Her parents, Newt and Alma, were not listed as present at the dedication in the newspaper article, so perhaps this event happened at a later date. Several Luther marriages were also held at the memorial including Lois s son Eric.