Mill Bridge near Salisbury in Rowan County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Thyatira Presbyterian Church Cemetery

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 11, 2023

1. Thyatira Presbyterian Church Cemetery Marker

Inscription. This cemetery, eight miles west of Salisbury was established by December 10, 1750. It is the oldest ecclesiastical cemetery in the western half of North Carolina. The oldest surviving grave marker is that of John Nesbit, 1755. Veterans of the French and Indian War and all other wars to the present rest here. Noteworthy graves include: Elizabeth Maxwell Gillespie Steele (1722-1790), a Salisbury tavern owner who sheltered Gen. Nathanael Greene, Revolutionary War commander, on the night of February 1-2, 1781; Dr. Samuel McCorkle (1746-1811) a founder of the University of North Carolina, the first state supported school to open in the nation (1795); and four traditional “pirate graves.”

Erected 2021 by John Lawson, Surveyor General Chapter, North Carolina Daughters of the American Colonists.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Colonial Era. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of the American Colonists, and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is December 10, 1750.

Location. 35° 39.016′ N, 80° 38.172′ W. Marker is near Salisbury, North Carolina, in Rowan County. It is in Mill Bridge. It is on White Road

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0.2 miles north of Mooresville Road (North Carolina Road 150), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 220 White Rd, Salisbury NC 28147, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Thyatira Presbyterian Church (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Short History of Thyatira Presbyterian Church (USA) (about 500 feet away); Thyatira Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Matthew Locke (approx. 0.2 miles away); Four Houses of Worship (approx. 0.2 miles away); Samuel McCorkle (approx. 1.2 miles away); Francis Locke (approx. 2.8 miles away); Back Creek Presbyterian Church (approx. 4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Salisbury.

Also see . . .
1. Thyatira Presbyterian Church Cemetery. Find a Grave entry on the historic burial ground. (Submitted on December 1, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Thyatira Church and Community. NCpedia website entry (Submitted on July 19, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

3. Thyatira Presbyterian Church, Cemetery, and Manse (PDF). National Register of Historic Places nomination for the church complex, which was listed in 1984. (Prepared by Davyd Foard Hood and Marshall Bullock, NC Division of Archives and History; via National Archives) (Submitted on December 1, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 11, 2023

2. Thyatira Presbyterian Church Cemetery Marker

Thyatira Presbyterian Church Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 11, 2023

3. Thyatira Presbyterian Church Cemetery

The plaques on the left rock gatepost note that Walter W. Erwin made the gate by hand in his nearby workshop in 1978, and that the cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

"Pirate graves" in Thyatira Presbyterian Cemetery image. Click for full size.

By Chris Crookston vis Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0), August 20, 2011

4. "Pirate graves" in Thyatira Presbyterian Cemetery

It is unknown who, if anyone, lies beneath these headstones. One legend has it that they gave up pirating to become farmers, only to be discovered and subsequently hanged. Their remains were allowed to be buried in the churchyard only if their headstones bore the skull and crossbones but no names, according to legend. However, no evidence has been uncovered (as yet) supporting that legend nor have any clues been found as to whose graves those are.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 1, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,231 times since then and 309 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 1, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.