St. John's in the Wilderness Church, Memorial to Lost Love

Harriman State Park, January, 2013

"Even now, the church of Saint John's in the Wilderness stands in thickly wooded seclusion - a remnant of the countryside that first attracted Mrs. Margaret Elizabeth Zimmerman to build this memorial to her late husband... In 1879 Mrs. Zimmerman purchased the land for the church from John A. Conklin also of New York. Margaret Zimmerman had originally intended to build a sturdy wooden church made of native timber. However Ralph Townsend, a New York architect suggested that the plentiful fieldstone of the area be utilized. Once the decision to use the native "hornblend" granite was made, Mrs. Zimmerman selected a design to compliment the feeling of such stone. The architecture was typical of Northern England. It had a decidedly "up-country" look reflective of Mrs. Zimmerman's English heritage and youthful travels."

- Bridget Leahy Ward