Unearthing history
Fair exhibit explores forgotten local burial grounds
Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation is hosting an exhibit of Washington County cemeteries and burial grounds at the Washington County Agricultural Fair.
“There are hundreds of cemeteries in Washington County, many of them lost or unrecorded. There are definitely family plots in cow fields or other places, and they aren’t necessarily discovered until a construction project starts and someone says, ‘Hey, I found a stone,'” said Sandy Mansmann, board president of the history and landmarks foundation.
According to several cemetery databases, there are more than 330 recorded cemeteries in Washington County, from Allmon Cemetery (a small family cemetery that was once on the Allmon farm in West Pike Township) to Zollarsville Methodist Cemetery in Marianna.
At the exhibit, visitors can learn about some of those forgotten and lesser-known cemeteries, and unusual cemeteries and burial spots – and about the stories of some of the people for whom the cemeteries are a final resting place.
The foundation has hosted walking tours and discussions of Washington County cemeteries, such as the crypt at First Lutheran Church, Washington, the site of the first cemetery in the city. The foundation is exploring historic family plots, Black burial grounds, and cemeteries with unusual features.
The foundation has worked to assemble photos, archival documents and maps to provide information on some local cemeteries and burial spots.
The exhibit aims to shed light on cemeteries through an investigative lens, but even more importantly, through a human perspective.
Mansmann has spent long hours visiting cemeteries and connecting with organizations and individuals to help with research.
She recently hiked about 45 minutes through a wooded area in Donegal Township to visit the burial plot of Thomas Porter, a farmer who died in 1879.
“It’s on private property, and when the gentleman bought the house, he inherited the plot,” said Mansmann. “But I’ve also been to big cemeteries where people pay $300,000 for a family mausoleum.
She also trekked to Finleyville Cemetery, where 15 Black miners who were among the 97 miners killed in the Cincinnati Mine Disaster of April 23, 1913, are believed to be buried.
“But the widow of Joseph Weaver, one of the miners, made a little cement marker and just carved his name, ‘Joseph,’ and the year he died, so it’s likely they’re in the cemetery, but nobody knows where,” said Mansmann, who noted PennWest University researchers visited the cemetery to conduct a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey, with the goal of finding out if there are remains in unmarked areas.
In July, members of the history and landmarks foundation visited Cross Roads Presbyterian Cemetery in Chartiers Township, where an estimated 300 people are buried. Several headstones have fallen into disrepair because of age and weather, and several graves are unmarked.
A GPR performed by Penn State University researchers shows there are several remains that are unmarked – and there are remains on the property owned by Henry and Judy Mullins, who live next door to the cemetery.
“When we bought the property we found a lot of tombstones when we were cleaning it up,” said Judy Mullins, noting they discovered several tombstones had been used to support an old barn next to their property.
Later that day, Mansmann stopped by Potter’s Field in Chartiers Township, where an estimated 1,300 people were buried in unmarked graves.
According to an article in the Observer-Reporter published in 2019, the state legislature in 1830 mandated Washington County to care for the poorest of its residents, including burial when they died.
So the county built an institution, the Washington County Home for the Poor, in Arden, near the Washington County Fairgrounds, along with institutions for women and children.
Eventually, a cemetery, called a Potter’s Field, was established for the county’s poor. Today, about 299 white grave markers line the hillside on a field near the site of the old Washington County Home for the Poor. There are no names on the markers, only numbers. In many cases, several people are buried in a single grave, and numerous graves are unmarked, according to the county’s website.
A searchable database, compiled by Randi Ross Marodi, administrative assistant to Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi, with the help of interns, at the behest of former commissioner Harlan Shober, is available at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2b0f35286d244c2d9459cd87cad8a994.
Mansmann, too, is interested in acknowledging ancestors who lived in the county, including Revolutionary War and Civil War veterans, and providing dignity for those who lived before us.
“And also, there are just some really interesting monuments; they’re fascinating,” she said. “If you’re on Route 136 closer to Monongahela, there’s a monument in someone’s front yard with a fence around it, for a magistrate who’s apparently buried with his horse and carriage.”
Mansmann is asking for anyone who has information about unusual cemeteries and burial sites to contact her.
“We’re asking for help. We’re looking for input. There are so many important burial sites we could use additional information about,” she said.
For information, contact Sandy Mansmann at 724-413-9921 or email washcolandmarks@gmail.com/.