Old Stone Church, Pacaltsdorp

Driving away from the licensing office where I collected my new license, I stopped to blip this old stone church.

Somebody by the name of Amanda wrote the following about this buiding:

One of the oldest churches is found in Pacaltsdorp near George. The Stone Church was officially inaugurated on 19 June 1825.

I met the church keeper, Johnny Junies. He highlighted some interesting facts about the history of this church.

Johnny pointed to the names on the memorial stone. The church was founded by a missionary, Rev. Carl Pacalt in 1813.

The area was known as Hoogekraal and was named after Rev. Pacalt after he died in 1818. The magistrate of George, Van Kervel, renamed Hoogekraal and it became Pacaltsdorp as it is known today. Pacalt was later followed-up by a Rev. William Anderson who started to build the stone church.

The historical church with an old wooden finish inside, is a popular tourist attraction and visited by tourists the world over.
The church is still used for community prayer meetings and is also a popular venue for weddings.

Looking at some old photos and history written up, it is clear that the Pacalts church community plays a strong and active role to preserve the history of this building.

I drove back and wondered why mankind (or some of us) are drawn to old buildings?
Don't have an answer, but perhaps it's for the same reason we sometimes sit on the beach, just staring at the ocean?