Bergfried
Eliot Chapel's Place of “Peace in the Hills”
At Bergfried, we all get to enjoy a peaceful, natural extension to our chapel life - a hike in the woods, a paddle down the river, a place to commune around the campfire, an area to camp with family and friends from Eliot; and an opportunity to realize our values for care of the natural world.
The Bergfried Team organizes and coordinates programs and group outings, including family campouts over Memorial Day weekend and in the fall, plus a Men’s Advance in May and a Women’s Weekend in September, and numerous conservation projects, often involving Boy Scout merit badge activities.
Memorial Day Service 2024 led by Rev Krista
The Board of Trustees and staff members tour Bergfried
The Bergfried Team manages field and forest to preserve the property in a natural state and maintains accommodations for camping, picnicking, hiking, and enjoying nature.
History of Bergfried
Seventy-five miles west of St. Louis, at the confluence of the Gasconade and Missouri Rivers, and near the town of Hermann, the Bergfried property consists of almost 600 acres of rolling meadows, wooded hills and spectacular bluffs. The property was donated to Eliot Chapel in 1965 by Miss Julia Lingenfelder and Mrs. Doris Lingenfelder Shreve, two sisters and members of Eliot Chapel, and their brother, Karl Lingenfelder.
The North Meadow in Sunlight
Bergfried, meaning "Peace in the Hills," was presented to Eliot Chapel on March 23, 1965, the 100th anniversary of the birth of their father, Dr. Julius Lingenfelder. During his lifetime, Dr. Lingenfelder had dreamed of establishing a recreation area or convalescent retreat on this former farmland, but was unable to realize his dream. Today, Bergfried is a peaceful haven for retreat and spiritual gathering in a natural setting.
Men’s Advance 2025 meets around the campfire
In 1988, Eliot Chapel built the Lingenfelder Shelter in an open field on the property. In this field that became the current main camping meadow, there are picnic tables, several fire pits with cooking grates, two six-person bunkhouses, and the Cistern Chapel, our two-room sanitary facility. The shelter has about a dozen picnic tables, a charcoal grill, and a fireplace at one end, and offers protection from both summer sunshine and rain.
Whatever the weather, Eliot campers and hikers enjoy the company of members and friends frequently during the year. In 2004, we purchased a cottage on an adjacent lot, with electricity, running water, a bath, and full kitchen that is available to congregants. Two Boy Scout Eagle projects have marked a network of hiking trails on the property, featuring views of the Gasconade and Missouri Rivers and historic gravesites in addition to managed forest and meadows and a cypress swamp.
Cypress Swamp at Bergfried
Canoeing on the Gasconade, Fall Campout 2024
The members of the Bergfried Stewardship Team (as of 2025) are: Jim Hershey, Kathy McIntosh, Tanya Hull, Dick and Cindy Haynes, Shawn Cummings, Dan Shreve, Carl Serbell, Jim Lyon, David Maguire, Rick Ragsdale, Beverly Parsons, Steve and Andrea Barnes, and Dawn Zeligman.
For more information about Bergfried, email Bergfriedinfo@eliotchapel.org.
