Riverside Graveyard

Riverside Graveyard. Cemetery reflects Port history. , The Riverside Graveyard was established on land deeded by Molly and John Carthrea, Sr., to the Methodist Episcopal Church's trustees in 1793. Soon a log church was built at water's edge in the upper end of the cemetery. On Feb. 26, 1809, Bishop Francis Asbury preached here. South River served conveniently for baptisms, but sometimes the congregation found themselves marooned when the river rose unexpectedly during a service. This structure was abandoned in 1846, and the congregation temporarily met in a brick church on Main Street, built and later vacated by the Presbyterians. In 1853, they built a wooden church on the same site as today's United Methodist Church building., The earliest birth date recorded on an existing stone is 1767, the latest death, 1899. The graveyard is honeycombed with sunken grave sites. Some grave markers were not durable; other graves were moved to the new Mutual Cemetery after it opened in 1897. Those gravestones which remain are representative of 19th century life in Port Republic: among them, a mller, boatman, farmer, laborer, storekeeper, blacksmith, saddler, toll-gate keeper, preacher, merchant, indentured servant, and cabinet-maker. They include members of a variety of organizations: Oddfellows Lodge, Sons of Temperance, and Cold Water Army of the Total Abstinence Society., Stones also identify seven Confederate soldiers, three of whom died in battle, the parents of five additional Confederate soldiers, and the grave of the man arrested by Federal troops for attempting to save the County records from Hunter's incendiary forces., This spot was a favorite swimming hole for decades, and over the years many of the older stones were lost after being used by the town's young folk as diving platforms. The restoration and maintenance of the cemetery is a project of the Society of Port Republic Preservationists; sheep are purchased each spring to act as "lawn mowers.", (A complete list of stones and inscriptions is available in the Port Republic Museum), (Caption):, Port Republic Methodist Episcopal congregation in front of its second church building, 1913