Church in losing battle over explicit Indian Tower graffiti

(AP) — Tucked away from busy roads, next to an expansive cornfield where the only sound comes from rustling stalks, Upper Nazareth's "Indian Tower" sits atop what is thought to be the highest point of the original 5,000 acres that made up Colonial Nazareth.

Racial slurs, sexually explicit drawings, references to smoking marijuana, Nazi symbols and curse words mar the two-story structure built in 1916.

"The tower has been used for many purposes over the years," including as a Civil Defense lookout in World War II and as a "repeater station," or a place to mount radio transmission for emergency services, says another plaque at the site.

Church officials share his frustration, but say efforts to tackle the problem from other angles have come up empty.

Community members, including students from Nazareth Area High School, have volunteered to remove the graffiti but that would involve a lot of work on a ladder, creating an insurance liability for the church, Gehris said.

Church officials considered installing a gate across the driveway that leads to the tower, but the gate would need to be opened every morning and closed every evening by Upper Nazareth police.

About three weeks ago, Gehris noticed that aluminum siding installed on the roof's interior to prevent vandals from spray-painting the wood was ripped down and tossed aside.

Mentry plans to reach out to church officials so they can provide a summary of how extensive the vandalism is and what it has cost to remove.