Diener Village Moves To Stone Gables

In 2012, mason John Diener began work on a project that would eventually fill the front yard of his home off Red Well Road near the boundary of ELANCO and Pequea Valley school districts. Several months after his death in March of 2021, the tiny village, including a covered bridge he created on a scale of 1 foot to 1 inch would be moved to Stone Gables Estate, 1 Hollinger Lane, Elizabethtown, to bring delight to the visitors there possibly for generations to come.

"He started the Mascot Mill in 2012, and he finished in 2013," said Steve Diener, John's brother, who explained that John's first passion was to re-create the house, the barn, and the mill from Mascot, a small village located southeast of Leola. The trio was especially recognizable because of the bright yellow barn with green trim.

"Everything was handmade down to the windows," shared Steve. "(John) cut the wood shingles by hand." Steve added that the insides of the houses are "amazing" as well. "He had wallpaper on the walls and pictures," said Steve, who explained that John prepared the framework and interior of the buildings in his shop. John's wife, Heather, added that her husband used a cart to wheel them outside, where Steve said the stone was laid. Steve also noted that the houses were set on strong foundations, making it easy to move them to their new location in Elizabethtown.

Heather recalled her husband cutting photos from magazines to make the pictures inside the buildings and using a photo of Nelson Coblentz of Gospel Express Evangelistic Team Ministry Inc. in one of them.

Heather noted that it took John about a year to finish each building and that she often helped him with the village and also with birdhouses and feeders they would create to enter in the New Holland Fair competitions.

One building in the group familiar to Pequea Valley-area residents is a replica of the Zimmerman store in Intercourse. Steve noted that 20,000 bricks were used to create the building and that John laid them with tweezers one brick at a time. "(John) was very creative and very meticulous in his work," said Steve.

Heather said that the final building John was working on is still in his workshop. "The last thing he made was a pavilion that he didn't finish," she said. "It had a fireplace and chimney that worked."

John and Steve's brother Lloyd Diener felt that it would be nice if the village could be preserved and shared at Stone Gables Estate, and by early October, a representative of the organization had visited the Diener home. "It's unbelievable," said David Abel, known for moving and preserving the Star Barn at Stone Gables Estate. "(The Diener Village will be) part of the walking tour of Christmas Village at the Stone Gables Estate," he said, adding that the tiny buildings are located in the original corn crib of the Star Barn. "They are all lit up and ready for Christmas."

The grand opening of the Christmas Village will be Friday, Nov. 26, and Saturday, Nov. 27. There will be a fee to park to see the village. More information about the walking tour may be found at https://stonegablesestate.com/event-calendar or by calling 717-902-9791.