Zion Hill Cemetery

Zion Hill Cemetery. . Opened at a time when blacks and whites legally could not be buried next to one another, this cemetery is the final resting place for generations of African-American wives, mothers, daughters, husbands, and sons, including valiant soldiers. In 1863 the man who would become one of the first black military officers in U.S. history, Columbia-born Stephen A. Swails, enlisted in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry at the height of the Civil War. He was one of 18 Columbians in the all-black regiment of United States Colored Troops (USCT), memorialized in the 1989 film Glory., Although Swails is not buried at Zion Hill Cemetery, many who served with him are, including Private George T. Prosser. Prosser enlisted in March 1863 and served in Company D, 54th Massachusetts, USCT. Captured February 20, 1864, he spent more than a year at the Andersonville prison in Georgia. Also buried here are Robert Loney (1836-1869), Company I, Pennsylvania 32nd Regiment, USCT, and Benjamin F. Loney (1850-1940), Company K, 25th Regiment, USCT., Zion Hill fell into ruins by the late 20th century, the victim of neglect and nearby road construction. In 1997 community volunteers cleared brush and installed simple wooden crosses to mark the probable locations of graves. Today the cemetery is cared for by volunteers and the Borough of Columbia. , Family relationship uncertain between the two men named Robert Loney shown here. Research continues., Marker funded in part by a grant to Rivertownes, PA, USA, from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, Environmental Stewardship Fund, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Bureau of Recreation and Conservation. DCNR is a partner of the Susquehanna Riverlands Conservation Landscape Initiative, an alliance of organizations working to preserve and enhance the cultural and natural assets of the Lower Susquehanna River. Project awarded through the Susquehanna Riverlands partnership with oversight from the Lancaster County Conservancy. Research and design by Randolph Harris, consulting historian, 2014 Images: Swails photograph, State Archives of Florida: Prosser service record National Archives and Records Administration.