The Union Cemetery

The Union Cemetery. . , (1) Wright's Ferry (Wrightsville) , Prior to its incorporation in 1834, the borough of Wrightsville consisted of two small towns, laid out in the years 1811-1814. On the north side of Hellam Street, the town of Wrightsville was laid out by William Wright, son of James Wright. On the south side of Hellam Street was the town of Westphalia, laid out by Susanna Wright Houston, daughter of John Wright Jr. James and John Jr. were the sons of Wright's Ferry founder, John Wright Sr., who operated a ferry across the Susquehanna River, in the 1730's., Susanna Wright Houston , Drawing by J.H. Mifflin, (2) Union Church , Built about the years 1817, 1818 and located here in what was then Westphalia, stood the "Old Brick Meeting House” or Union Church, along with a Union Cemetery. The land was given and later deeded to the Presbyterian Church for $1 by Susanna Wright Houston. , Religious services were held by Presbyterian, Methodist and Lutheran adherents until land was secured elsewhere, and individual churches were built. In 1858 the Old Brick Meeting House sold at public sale to Presbyterian Church trustee, Michael Minnich, and was razed. Prior to its destruction, the church was also used as a school for the "colored” residents of Wrightsville., Union Cemetery purchase receipts , Courtesy of York County History Center, Wrightsville Map 1894, Marietta Union Meeting House , Wrightsville image unavailable, (3) Union Cemetery , The Union Cemetery, Wrightsville's oldest cemetery, has suffered from years of neglect. Records of original burials, as well as several tombstones, have been lost to the ravages of time. When the Fairview Cemetery opened in 1870, some graves were moved and reinterred at the new, modern cemetery. On-site observation by George R. Seiffert in 1932 resulted in documentation (now located in the York County History Center) identifying 75 burials in the Union Cemetery, with many stones in bits and pieces, In 2013, only 42 monuments remained intact. However no original maps of burial plots are available, and placement of the monuments (as seen here) is not accurate., Union Cemetery [this tag accompanied by arrow] , This Indenture ... , Union Church Land Title , Courtesy of York County History Center, (4) Veterans , According to research conducted by Wrightsville resident and historian John Redman (1906-1979), the oldest tombstone at the time of his research was dated April, 11, 1816. Today the oldest remaining stone is dated September 11, 1826 and the most recent is dated November 12, 1912. War of 18 12 veterans interred here are Jacob Kline, Samuel Mann and William Wilson. , Civil War Veterans interred here are Calvin Harris, John McCauley, Jacob Shutter (no stone) and Theodore Wilson. Veterans William Albright, Barton Herr and Lt. R. W. Smith were originally buried here, however they were later reinterred in Fairview Cemetery., Historic Wrightsville Inc., 309 Locust St., Wrightsville, PA 17368 , www.historicwrightsvillepa.org