Moravians call their cemeteries "God's Acres," and on hallowed ground, it's easy to understand why.
A plot of land in Upper Nazareth Township, Northampton County, is the area's first cemetery.
A man by the name of George Kremzer was the first to be buried there in 1744.
Looking over George and the 66 alongside him is the Indian Tower, built to replace a wooden pavilion, called the "summer house."
One rumor about the tower is that it was a lookout for hostile Indians, but by the time it was built in 1916, Native Americans were long gone from this part of Pennsylvania.
It was, however, a lookout during World War II, and in the 1960s, the top was boarded up and used as a repeater station for the Blue Mountain Control Center.
The tower's original purpose was just one of rest, built atop the highest point of the original 5,000 acres of Nazareth.
"I think everyone in Nazareth, at least kids, come up here at some point in time," said Stephen Cunningham, president of the Moravian Historical Society. "It is maybe a rite of passage to sneak up here at night."
It is a rite that unfortunately reveals itself in graffiti, costing caretakers about $1,000 or more each year, but there's a fondness for the tower.
It even has its place in pop culture. The tower was featured on a local band's CD cover in 2006.
"I'm just glad that people seem to have a oneness with the tower and cemetery, at least the town," said Cunningham. "I'm glad that it's close to their hearts."


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