Name/Title
Mennonite Church SafeEntry/Object ID
2023.14.7Description
The combination to the safe is:
78 - 47 - 82 - 36
From Hannah Hendricks:
Left 4 times and stop on 78
Right 2 times and stop on 47 on the 3rd turn
Left 1 time and stop on 82 on the 2nd turn
Turn to 36
From Bob Weaver:
Precision Locksmith cam out to determine the combination some years ago, and should be able to give guidance on this. Their records would be under my name- Robert E. Weaver.Use
Church safe that was kept by the local bishop in his home, to hold church monies and records.Context
The safe appears to be of the style of 1880s-90s. A lot of brands of safes at that time looked the same so likely the same manufacturer and companies like Montgomery Ward just put their brand on it. It appears that the carpet on the bottom is original to the manufacture, as other safes of that era have that type of carpet on the bottom inside.Collection
Weaver's Church bicentennial collectionCataloged By
Sam FunkhouserAcquisition
Accession
2023.14Source or Donor
Robert E. WeaverAcquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Time Period
Late 19th Century, 19th CenturyInscription/Signature/Marks
Transcription
Montgomery Ward & Co., Chicago, ILL.
Mennonite ChurchLocation
Location
Room
ParlorBuilding
Burkholder-Myers HouseDate
December 14, 2023Inventory
Inventory Project
INV2026.1Inventoried By
Hannah HendricksInventoried Date
May 22, 2026Inventory Project
INV2025.1Inventoried By
Hannah HendricksInventoried Date
Jun 15, 2025Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
L.J. HeatwoleNotes
I'm certain that this was obtained for the Mennonite Church, Middle District, in Rockingham Co., by Bishop L.J. Heatwole. His father-in-law was Bishop Samuel Coffman, also in charge of Middle District of Virginia Mennonite Conference.
This safe would have been obtained for the church by Bishop L. J. Heatwole, who was ordained to the ministry at Weavers Mennonite church in 1887. He may have bought it then, or when he came back from Missouri in 1893- by then Bishop Samuel Coffman passed in 1894, but was quite ill the last years of his life, so I doubt that he purchased this safe in the last years of his tenure when ill, and the time frame for the manufacture and marketing of this safe fits perfectly L.J. Heatwole's tenure starting in 1887.
I've always been told that L. J. obtained this safe for the church monies. This safe was, I've been told by my mother (his granddaughter) always kept in his office at home. This makes sense as at that time the meetinghouses would have been vacant except some Sunday mornings (at times church only met every other week) so it would not be logical to have left the safe at the meetinghouse.Provenance
Notes
After L.J. Heatwole passed in 1932, his son (donor's great uncle) Justus Bare Heatwole (J.B.) was in charge of finances and the building committee (for the new meetinghouse in 1943) for Weavers Mennonite church, so the safe stayed with the family at home, in Dale Enterprise, where it remained until its donation.Create Date
December 14, 2023Update Date
July 15, 2026