Locksmith Peter Kieffer secured his place in local history when he created this remarkable door lock for Lancaster’s Reformed Church. He crafted the lock for the front door of the stone church which was being constructed that year. When that stone church was replaced by today’s brick church, the congregation moved this lock to a new front door at the west entrance. The lock is edged with bronze which has oxidized over time to black.

Above: Most of the lock’s engraved text apparently is unique to this lock. It is not standardized liturgical text. The last sentence, however, is a verse from the New Testament: Matthew 9:13. Text image source: Buck County Historical Society Papers, Stoudt, 1932.