The Old Graveyard

The Old Graveyard. Lots #76 and 77. , "The Old Graveyard" is composed of town lots number 76 and 77, each a half acre in area. On January 17, 1799 they were deeded by Lewis Stephens, Jr. to the following thirteen Trustees: David Wilson, William McLeod, William Elsea, Ebenezer, Potter, Richard Barton, Joseph Fawcett, Jacob Leonard, Jacob Moires (Myers), David Mittinger, Lewis Stephens, Jr., Bryan Martin Stephens, Henry Stephens and Andrew Pitman. The deed read, "in behalf of the freeholders of the Town of Stephensburg." Both lots sold for the sum of 5 shillings and were described as being commonly called the graveyard and schoolhouse lots, suggesting that the property was already in use prior to the dedication to the trustees'., Inez Virginia Steele wrote 1906: "The dust of the first settlers rests in the graveyard, but being generally marked by common limestone rocks, their graves are not distinguishable." The Stephens family plot is in the southwest corner, adjacent to Mulberry Street. South of these graves appears to be the older part of the cemetery referred to by Miss Steele in her book Methodism and the Early Days of Stephens., The first house of worship in "Stephensburg" was built in the northwest corner of this cemetery. As described in 1850 by Pastor Rueben A. Funk "This old log church… was a homely structure with plain board pews and a common floor." Miss Steele further described this structure in her book as "the old schoolhouse, which stood on the northwest corner, having three windows looking east, west and south; they were about six feet wide and three feet high and were protected by board shutters. When light was required, these were propped up as high as possible by wooden sticks or pins. It was sometimes called the East Academy.", These grounds are maintained by the Town of Stephens City.