Swatara Township near Steelton in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Midland Cemetery

Circa 1795

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 27, 2024

1. Midland Cemetery Marker

Inscription.
The resting place of African Americans from the villages of Oberlin, Enhaut, Bressier (Swatara Township), Steelton and surrounding areas. They were the leaders of the Black community churches and civic organizations who came out of slavery to freedom. Here rest veterans of the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, II and the Korean War.

The rich histories of many untold stories are preserved through the restoration and preservation efforts of the “Friends of Midland” and the cooperation of Swatara Township, Dauphin County Commissioners and the Dauphin County Prison.

Barbara Barksdale, Founder (FoM), President • Sharon Harris, Vice President • Zane Phoenix Sr., Secretary • Lonnie Dodd, Treasurer • Etta Payne, Assistant Treas. • Clayton Carelock, Research Coord. • Anita Hanna Matthews • Lucille Phoenix • Calvin Johnson

Recognized as a historical site by the Swatara Township Commissioners on February 3, 1999

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1795.

Location. 40° 14.266′ N, 76° 49.537′ W. Marker is

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near Steelton, Pennsylvania, in Dauphin County. It is in Swatara Township. It is at the intersection of Cole Street and Mann Street, on the right when traveling south on Cole Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Harrisburg PA 17113, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania, specifically in Pennsylvania Dutch Country,

in the Susquehanna Valley,

and in Greater Harrisburg.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Ancestors' Grove (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); William Howard Day (approx. ¾ mile away); Dedicated to all the Veterans (approx. one mile away); Harrisburg (approx. 1.4 miles away); Paxton Church (approx. 1.4 miles away); Foundations of Steel (approx. 1½ miles away); Original Location of the Paxton Congregation (approx. 1.8 miles away); Paxton Presbyterian Church (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Steelton.

Regarding Midland Cemetery. Excerpt from the National Register nomination:

The cemetery is a significant local site of African American history and culture dating to at least the mid-nineteenth century. The exact date when burials first took place on that site is not known. While local tradition suggests that the cemetery’s origin dates back to its use in the eighteenth century as a slave burial ground, documentation has yet to be uncovered to establish the cemetery’s exact date of origin. There were slaves in Swatara Township in the 1790s and a free black community
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 27, 2024

2. National Register of Historic Places Plaque
had emerged in the region by the early nineteenth century, but no documentation has yet been located to pinpoint where deceased people of color were buried at that time.

By the 1860s, a recognizable cemetery for African American burials had been established at the Midland Cemetery site. The oldest extant grave marker can be found on the edge of the cemetery facing Kelker Street, the tombstone for Elizabeth Fields who died in 1869.

Also see . . .
1. The Historic Midland Cemetery. The larger part of Midland had been buried under weeds and brush for 35 years before Barbara [Barksdale] and her 11-year-old son ventured into the cemetery in 1993. (Steelton Borough) (Submitted on October 10, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Midland Cemetery (PDF). National Register nomination for the cemetery, which was listed in 2023. (Prepared by Steven Burg, Barbara Barksdale, Jeanie Glaser and Sarah Hoffeditz; via Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office) (Submitted on October 10, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 27, 2024

3. Midland Cemetery Marker

Midland Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 27, 2024

4. Midland Cemetery

A wide view of the cemetery, which is approximately four acres in size.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 10, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 10, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 166 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 10, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.