PENNSYLVANIA: History gets some repairs at parish's cemetery

By William Potts, November 19, 2009 [St. Thomas Church, Whitemarsh] The tombstones in St. Thomas' Cemetery date back to the early 18th century and mark the graves of soldiers who served in the Mexican War, Spanish-American War, Civil War, Revolutionary War, World War I, World War II, as well as soldiers serving in Vietnam.

The 15-acre cemetery belongs to and is maintained by St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh, in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. Legend has it that this area was a Lenape Indian burial ground long before the first section of the cemetery was started around 1710. Other sections were added in 1746, 1855, 1876 and 1953. In August, the church hired Eugene Hough of Heritage Guild Works to repair tombstones in the first section of the cemetery where the oldest dated headstone -- James Allison 1727 -- is located.

The cemetery is located on Church Hill, one of the five area hills, including Camp Hill, Edge Hill, Fort Hill and Militia Hill, that played a prominent role in the Revolutionary War. Twelve Revolutionary War veterans are buried here, not including two American soldiers who were killed by the British firing canons from this hill and are buried in unmarked graves near the northeast corner of the cemetery.

As of late October, Hough has repaired 35 headstones. Unfortunately, this is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.

"Because of the age of the cemetery, there is an ongoing issue of repairing broken and fallen tombstones and monuments, and many more headstones are in dire need of repair," Hough said. "Preservation matters."

(The William Penn chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution has begun indexing the graves in the oldest section of the cemetery because the original records were destroyed in a fire.)

Hough has gone the extra mile, spending much more time and effort than the church contracted him to spend. He is a historian as well as an excellent tombstone preservationist. He has done work for many historic cemeteries in South Carolina and Georgia, as well as The Union League in Philadelphia and The Merion Cricket Club in Haverford. As funds become available through donations or grants, we hope to have him repair more tombstones.

Hough spoke at St. Thomas' Speeders luncheon in October, sharing details regarding how he proceeds with his work, as well as some history of the Whitemarsh area.

Click here for more information or to make a donation to St. Thomas' Cemetery Board.

-- William Potts is a St. Thomas' Church parishioner.