Carlisle in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Union Cemetery

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 27, 2024

1. Union Cemetery Marker

Inscription. Union Cemetery, named in honor of the two dozen veterans of the Civil War who are buried here, was established in 1900 by Carlisle resident Robert Thompson Sr. (1828-1900). Thompson was one of the most prominent African Americans in central Pennsylvania during his day. From his birth as a slave in Front Royal, Virginia in 1828 to his death in his home on South Street in 1900, Thompson lived the unique life of an entrepreneur who owned a large amount of property and businesses in the Carlisle and Harrisburg areas. The land was purchased in the 1890s after Lincoln Cemetery, located at the corner of Pitt Street and West Penn Street, became full. Upon Mr. Thompson's death, several generations of the Thompson family managed the site before it was taken over by the Borough of Carlisle, which still maintains the cemetery today. The earliest gravestone is dated 1887, with most others dating after 1900. Union Cemetery follows one of the earliest burial customs by burying everyone facing east.

[Caption] Mr. Robert Thompson

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites

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• Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.

Location. 40° 12.884′ N, 77° 12.002′ W. Marker is in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in Cumberland County. It can be reached from the intersection of Franklin Street and G Street, on the left when traveling north. Marker is by the flagpole at the cemetery's western edge. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Carlisle PA 17013, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania and in Greater Harrisburg.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Lincoln Cemetery (approx. ¾ mile away); 54th & 55th Massachusetts Infantry (approx. ¾ mile away); a different marker also named Lincoln Cemetery (approx. ¾ mile

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 27, 2024

2. Union Cemetery Marker

away); The Jordan Gravestone (approx. ¾ mile away); Beta Pi Chapter of Kappa Sigma Fraternity (approx. 0.8 miles away); Old West (approx. 0.9 miles away); Dickinson College during the Gettysburg Campaign (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Charles Nisbet Campus of Dickinson College (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Carlisle.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 9, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 9, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 202 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 9, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.