German Reformed Cemetery
Also known as Reformed Church Cemetery
Greencastle, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, USA
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The cemetery is bound on the north by an unnamed alley, on the east by South Carlisle Street, on the south by privately owned property and on the west by S. Elm Lane. It is approximately 256 feet long and 113 feet wide. This cemetery is not enclosed. It is well maintained and is in very good condition but many of the graves are well worn.
On the east, or South Carlisle Street side, there is a flight of three stone steps near the German Reformed Cemetery sign, leading from the sidewalk to the top of the bank and into the cemetery. In the southwest corner of the cemetery plot, there is a small, wooden utility shed.
The graveyard was established in 1781 when the two lots of land were sold by Greencastle's founder, Col Allison, to the German Reformed Church for a graveyard and church location. 1n 1786 a log church was built at the rear of the cemetery. It was a Union Church where services were held by the Lutheran and the German Reformed churches. Today these churches are the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Grace United Church of Christ. Prior to 1808, the Lutherans left the Union Church and build their own Church in Greencastle. Also in 1808, a new Brick church was built by the Reformed Church in the front right of the property. In 1853, the Reformed Church moved again to a new church, still in use on Baltimore Street. Today the Cemetery is maintained by the Grace United Church of Christ, Baltimore St, Greencastle.
There are over 300 graves in the cemetery. Recently a map of the cemetery is been developed with headstones shown. See the Photo in this site for a picture of the layout of the graveyard, showing all graves and new row/section numbers. The earliest grave is dated 1791 and the last grave is dated 1890. No new graves are allowed. The only recorded information for the graves is from limited German Reformed Church Records, Detrich Funeral Home Records of Greencastle, several assorted lists of a few graves in the cemetery and the most comprehensive but not complete: Tombstone Inscriptions, Franklin County PA Vol . 5 Greencastle Cemeteries, by Pflueger, 1988, Greencastle, PA. Many of the graves are badly weathered but as data is discovered it will be added into Find A Grave. If the name in Find A Grave has a Plot number, the gravestone has been identified, otherwise, the researched Name will be recorded as unfound.
Veterans buried there include: 4 from the Revolutionary, four from the War of 1812, and seven Federal/Union and one Confederate veterans from the Civil War. There are 6 graves that are written in Old German. For your geographical understanding, there are two tall obelisk monuments; one at 2C-5 and one at 4I-4. In the research of Pflueger, in 1988 there are 22 gravestones stacked in the rear of the graveyard and shown in his research with * by the name. These stones will be recovered and replaced into the Cemetery and the researched names will be listed in Find a Grave. As well as these stacked gravestones, there are numerous footstones stacked as well. Many of the standing stones in the cemetery are badly weathered but many have been identified by matching gravestone age, dates, etc with the researched written data. Unidentified gravestones will be listed in the Master List of graves as "Unidentified".
The cemetery is bound on the north by an unnamed alley, on the east by South Carlisle Street, on the south by privately owned property and on the west by S. Elm Lane. It is approximately 256 feet long and 113 feet wide. This cemetery is not enclosed. It is well maintained and is in very good condition but many of the graves are well worn.
On the east, or South Carlisle Street side, there is a flight of three stone steps near the German Reformed Cemetery sign, leading from the sidewalk to the top of the bank and into the cemetery. In the southwest corner of the cemetery plot, there is a small, wooden utility shed.
The graveyard was established in 1781 when the two lots of land were sold by Greencastle's founder, Col Allison, to the German Reformed Church for a graveyard and church location. 1n 1786 a log church was built at the rear of the cemetery. It was a Union Church where services were held by the Lutheran and the German Reformed churches. Today these churches are the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Grace United Church of Christ. Prior to 1808, the Lutherans left the Union Church and build their own Church in Greencastle. Also in 1808, a new Brick church was built by the Reformed Church in the front right of the property. In 1853, the Reformed Church moved again to a new church, still in use on Baltimore Street. Today the Cemetery is maintained by the Grace United Church of Christ, Baltimore St, Greencastle.
There are over 300 graves in the cemetery. Recently a map of the cemetery is been developed with headstones shown. See the Photo in this site for a picture of the layout of the graveyard, showing all graves and new row/section numbers. The earliest grave is dated 1791 and the last grave is dated 1890. No new graves are allowed. The only recorded information for the graves is from limited German Reformed Church Records, Detrich Funeral Home Records of Greencastle, several assorted lists of a few graves in the cemetery and the most comprehensive but not complete: Tombstone Inscriptions, Franklin County PA Vol . 5 Greencastle Cemeteries, by Pflueger, 1988, Greencastle, PA. Many of the graves are badly weathered but as data is discovered it will be added into Find A Grave. If the name in Find A Grave has a Plot number, the gravestone has been identified, otherwise, the researched Name will be recorded as unfound.
Veterans buried there include: 4 from the Revolutionary, four from the War of 1812, and seven Federal/Union and one Confederate veterans from the Civil War. There are 6 graves that are written in Old German. For your geographical understanding, there are two tall obelisk monuments; one at 2C-5 and one at 4I-4. In the research of Pflueger, in 1988 there are 22 gravestones stacked in the rear of the graveyard and shown in his research with * by the name. These stones will be recovered and replaced into the Cemetery and the researched names will be listed in Find a Grave. As well as these stacked gravestones, there are numerous footstones stacked as well. Many of the standing stones in the cemetery are badly weathered but many have been identified by matching gravestone age, dates, etc with the researched written data. Unidentified gravestones will be listed in the Master List of graves as "Unidentified".
Nearby cemeteries
Greencastle, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, USA
- Total memorials13
- Percent photographed77%
Greencastle, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, USA
- Total memorials5
- Percent photographed0%
Greencastle, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, USA
- Total memorials190
- Percent photographed75%
- Percent with GPS18%
Greencastle, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, USA
- Total memorials186
- Percent photographed81%
- Percent with GPS4%
- Added: 15 May 2008
- Find a Grave Cemetery ID: 2261256
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