Driving Directions:

This Church Cemetery is located in the village of Brick Church and is in Burrell Township, Armstrong County, PA., and it is right alongside State Route 2025. (Often called Garrett's Run Road) This Village is in the Ford City, PA zip code of 16226 and the Church has a Ford City mailing address.

From the stop light and bridge, in North Vandergrift, Armstrong County, PA., drive 5.87 miles north, on State Route Alternate 66, toward Ford City, to the crossroads intersection at Cochrans Mill Road, on the right and Grantz Hollow Road on the left...(Do not confuse Regular State Route 66 with Alternate Route 66. Also, Cochran's Mill Rd. is referred to, on some maps, as Hilty Road, but this is wrong.)

At this intersection turn right onto Cochran's Mill Rd. and drive 3.27 miles to the Burrell Township Municipal Building, at the intersection of State Route 2025 (aka Garrett's Run Rd.) and turn left onto State route 2025. From this intersection, drive 1.17 miles, across the Crooked Creek Bridge, to the Cemetery, located on the left, at the top of the hill.

In 1806, the St. Michael's Lutheran Church of Burrell Township, Armstrong County, was organized and the first Minister was Rev. Michael Steck and he was from Greensburg, PA. The home of George Peter Schaeffer was used for the services and in 1820, Schaeffer and John George Helffrick were chosen as elders and a new building of logs was erected on land donated or owned by George Peter Schaeffer. In 1830, Schaeffer gave title of 5 acres plus 8 perches of land to the church for the sum of one dollar. This land is now located, on the hilltop, at the intersection of Murphy Hollow Road and Cherry Run Road, in Burrell Township. This church was originally known as the Schaeffer's Lutheran Church and sometimes it was referred to as the St. Michael's Lutheran Church.

Another Log church was erected in 1832 and since the majority of the congregation was of Germanic descent, the services were conducted in German and there were 227 baptisms and 30+ confirmations done at this church. This church served the people until 1850, when it became apparent that a bigger meeting house was required. Anthony Helfferick, gave an acre of land to the church and this land was located at the cross roads of the village of Brick Church and is across the road and about 200 yards from the site of the present day church. In later years this would have been the site of the Kings General Store. The "New Church" was constructed of Red Brick and was officially erected in full, by 23 Oct. 1853 and it had been incorporated as the Saint Michael's Lutheran Church since 20 Mar 1850. All that remains of the original Schaeffer's Lutheran Church is the cemetery, by the same name, and a sundial platform, with a plaque to commemorate the original building site and church members.

On 29 July 1860 this new church was destroyed by an intense storm and it was rebuilt in Sept 1860 on the same location. In 1880 and again in 1899 the building was damaged by storms and was rebuilt each time. The services continued in German but because of changing times, from 1851 until 1860 English was also used. Over the years, various changes took place as is common with changing demographicsÂ…Women were given the right to vote on church affairs in 1887, Electricity installed in 1938, water wells were dug in 1939, in 1918, a ladies aid society was established and continues to this day. In 1939, Owen J. King gave the church about 2.5 acres for a new building and cemetery. However, the new building did not take place until ground breaking on 12 Aug 1979, at the present location on the opposite side of the crossroads, from the older church, but the cemetery has been buried in since before 1850.