08/04/2026
Promises Broken for Beloved Waterloo Chapel
In November 2009, The Juniata Sentinel featured a great article written by Sheila McCarthy Yorks that told the story of the Waterloo United Methodist Chapel leading up to its demolition that Fall. Built in 1906 and holding regular church services until closing in 1973, the little chapel held a special place in the hearts of those in the western end of Juniata County. After a brief stint as an antiques store, the chapel was put up for sale in 2008.
The beautiful stained-glass windows and quaint appearance caught the eye of developer Robert Barr, who was planning a large project involving the famous Star Barn, which he purchased in 2007. At that time, the barn was located in Middletown. His company, Agrarian Country, aimed to create a 300-acre complex in Lebanon County, move the Star Barn there, and create a premier hands-on agricultural showcase. Noting that the chapel was in “impeccable shape,” with a unique bell tower and vaulted ceiling, it was the perfect addition to the planned complex.
Demolition began in 2009 and was documented on DVD. People were very happy that the chapel wasn’t being destroyed, but instead being rebuilt with a purpose. The deconstructed pieces of the chapel were reportedly moved to storage until the planned opening, estimated to be in 2011. At least that was the promise of the developer.
In January of 2023, the Juniata County Historical Society received an eBay alert for a stained-glass window belonging to the Waterloo Chapel for sale in Denver, PA. A donor purchased it for the Tuscarora Academy Museum’s church exhibit. During the pick-up, the seller told us that he saw Barr also had several other stained-glass windows from Waterloo, which were also for sale. He wasn’t sure how many remained. If the chapel was to be reconstructed, why were its windows up for individual sale? Residents of Juniata County were still under the impression that the reconstruction was still planned.
What they didn’t know is that even at the time of the sale and demolition, behind the scenes, trouble was already brewing. A cursory skim of headlines involving Barr’s nonprofit reveals that site plans kept changing, the projected costs kept increasing, and goalposts kept moving. Not to mention accusations of neglect and investment mishandling at a premier thoroughbred horse farm he was involved with at the same time as his purchase of the Waterloo chapel.
Barr was soon forced to abandon the project and debts. On October 10, 2014, David and Tierney Abel acquired the Star Barn from Agrarian Country. The Abels were highly successful in their venture. The Star Barn Raising Festival was held at its new location in Elizabethtown in the summer of 2017, with more than 4,000 participants. They built a beautiful estate with many stunning outbuildings. However, one thing was still noticeably missing. The Waterloo Chapel.
After we recently received an inquiry from a former Waterloo resident, we thought it was time the county had closure on this matter. We are thankful for a very frank conversation with David Abel, who provided additional details. While they do plan to construct a small chapel on site, it will not be the one from Waterloo.
When they purchased the Star Barn, they were told about the remnants of the Waterloo Chapel. Upon finding that all the wood had been kept outside in the elements with no protection for five years, they knew there was no way that the structure could be reassembled with the badly rotted beams.
We’ll never know where the rest of the stained-glass windows went, or the bell, or any other non-rotted features Barr may have sold in the last several years. Thankfully, the large arched window that used to hang over the entry doors parishioners passed under every Sunday has been saved and is proudly on display at the Tuscarora Academy Museum in Academia. Let this be a lesson of caution when it comes to saving county history – be careful who you trust.
