Royer Chapel Community Prayer Garden
& Memorial Brick Wall
Since its establishment in 1897, Royer Chapel has been a treasured gathering space and community beacon. To honor this tradition, our non-profit, the Coshocton County Historic Cemeteries Preservation Collective (d.b.a. Royer Chapel), installed a Community Prayer Garden. It is our hope that the garden will create a new passive space for people to pray, reflect, and find solace. We believe this project will help preserve the legacy of Royers, Factors, and other founding St. Nicholas parishioners, while also creating a cherished community asset.
Funding assistance was provided by the Schooler Family Foundation. The Community Prayer Garden was installed behind the Chapel near the original St. Nicholas (rear) foundation stones. The garden is open to the public during daylight hours and offers a serene and comfortable place for all to enjoy. It includes a memorial brick wall with engraved bricks, planter boxes, benches (coming soon), landscaping, prayer box, and prayer altar with a Statue of Mary (coming soon). The planter boxes are incorporated into the memorial wall design, as is the altar, which is positioned roughly where the original St. Nicholas altar stood. The landscaping provides shade and beauty. See the original rendering to left (project components have changed since the original drawing was drafted).
Memorial Brick Wall
The Community Prayer Garden's centerpiece memorial brick wall includes 80 engraved bricks from our 2022-2023 fundraiser. The wall's design includes an elevated platform in the center, with the Statue of Mary sitting atop (coming soon), and two planter boxes on either side. Construction started in June 2024. Thanks to the Bice Family/Travis Bice Masonry (Royer descendants) for donating expertise and labor. See the general rendering to right.
Community Prayer Garden and Prayer Box
Thank you to Alonso Landscaping & Lawn Care and Sampsel Property Services for helping work on the prayer garden! Thank you also to Crowtown Mill Designs for creating the replica chapel prayer box!
