Preserving Stevens's cemetery -- a national treasure
September 2022
By Ross Hetrick
"I repose in this quiet and secluded spot not from any natural preference for solitude, but finding other cemeteries limited as to race by charter rules, I have chosen this that I might illustrate in my death the principles which I advocated through a long life. Equality of man before his creator."
These are the words carved into the tomb of Thaddeus Stevens. He chose to be buried in the small Shreiner-Concord cemetery in Lancaster because it was the only integrated graveyard in the city when he died in 1868. He wanted his final resting place to be a testament to his lifelong fight for equality. Yet, even though it is one of the most inspirational graves in the nation, the cemetery is not owned by any group or organization and depends on volunteers to be maintained.
To rectify this sad situation, the Thaddeus Stevens Society has launched an effort to have the cemetery's ownership transferred to some entity and to create an endowment fund so that the graveyard is taken care of indefinitely. It may take years to accomplish, but it absolutely needs to be done.
The cemetery at the intersection of Mulberry and Chestnut Streets in Lancaster is an acre in size and was started by Martin Shreiner, a clockmaker, in 1836. It is filled with some impressive monuments, many more modest tombstones and even an area that is believed to have been reserved for indigent individuals.
Like many family enterprises, by the third generation, Martin Shreiner's descendants decided they had other things to do and they abandoned the cemetery in the mid-twentieth century. Because it is a cemetery, taxes were not assessed and no government agency acquired the property. Since then the graveyard has depended on the kindness of volunteers and this has ebbed and flowed, leaving the cemetery in bad shape in some decades.
Currently the graveyard is being looked after by the Shreiner-Concord Cemetery Foundation, a volunteer group, which does a good job of maintaining the property with limited resources. The city of Lancaster also lends a hand by cutting the grass. But these efforts could fade away, as they have in the past.
The cemetery is a historical and inspirational treasure that should be preserved by historical groups as well as local, state and federal agencies. If you would like to be part of the effort to help restructure this cemetery, please contact the Thaddeus Stevens Society at info@thaddeusstevenssociety.com
Ross Hetrick is president of the Thaddeus Stevens Society, which is dedicated to promoting Stevens's important legacy. More information about the Great Commoner can be found at the society's website: https://www.thaddeusstevenssociety.com/
