Lawrenceville's Forgotten Cemetery
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Source: The Bulletin, April 1990 (a Lawrenceville local publication)
Reproduced with permission.
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Lawrenceville's
Forgotten Cemetery
By James Wudarczyk
When asked to name the cemeteries of
Lawrenceville, people will quickly respond, "Allegheny" and "Saint
Mary's." Yet an older, though smaller, cemetery existed prior to the
opening of Allegheny Cemetery in 1844. This was the Washington Burial
Ground, located under what is now Main and Fisk Streets,
Government Way
and the Carnegie Library.
Founded in 1814 on a one-and-a-quarter
acre tract of land, the burial
ground was donated as a cemetery for the soldiers stationed at the
Allegheny Arsenal by Lawrenceville's founder, William B. Foster.
We know that as late as 1840 the
burial ground was still in use by the
staff of the Arsenal. On September 19, 1840, Major H. K. Craig,
commander, issued notice, "John Penny, Laborer of Ordnance, died
yesterday. He will be buried at 3 pm this day in the Lawrenceville
Burying Ground. The officers and enlisted men of the detachment will
attend the funeral in uniform from his late quarters."
While originally conceived as a
resting place for troops, the burial
ground was eventually opened to the community. Regulations
regarding
burials and the up-keep of the facility were established in an
ordinance passed by the borough council and signed into law by John
Sarber, Burgess, on
July 26, 1834.
When the borough of Lawrenceville was
incorporated into the City of
Pittsburgh in 1868, all public lands within Lawrenceville became the
possession of the city. Trouble began to brew over the site in late
1881 when the Washington
Sub-District School Board of the City of
Pittsburgh elected to use the burial ground as the site for a
new
school. The School Board petitioned the City council for passage of an
ordinance granting the burial ground to the school district. City
Council agreed, and executed
the deed of transfer on December 31, 1881. Little regard
was given for the remains of those buried in the Washington Burial
Ground as work crews began to excavate the foundation and cellar.
This disrespect for the deceased
aroused the bitter resentment of many
civic-minded citizens, who took the school board to court in an effort
to halt construction of the school. Among those contesting the school
were J. Rogers Jeffrey, William D. Moore, A. M. Moreland and Morrison
Foster.
Jeffrey and the others contended that as many as 500 persons were
buried on those grounds. The plaintiffs also argued that the
land was
donated expressly for the purpose of
a burial ground and not for
"educational purposes" as the school board petition had falsely and
fraudulently maintained.
A compromise was eventually reached
which required the moving of
interred bodies to Allegheny Cemetery, and that the balance of the
burial ground be enclosed by a suitable fence.
A school was erected on the site in
1885, and was known as the
Washington Sub-District No. 2. Its name was changed in 1912 to the
Stephen C. Foster School
and it continued to serve the education needs of the community
until 1939.
As part of the settlement, a monument
was erected on May 25, 1887,
which still stands as a reminder of the early days of the history of
Lawrenceville. This 12-foot high granite shaft bears the inscription:
"In
honor of the American soldiers
buried here. We will emulate their
patriotism, and protect their
remains."
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Source: "Lawrenceville History" by James Wudarczyk (pages 98-101)
(non-circulating, available in Lawrenceville Carnegie Library)
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The Lawrenceville Burial Ground
Like so much of
Lawrenceville's history,
most, save for the sketchiest details, have been lost. Such is the case
with the earliest cemetery in the town of Lawrenceville.
According to Morrison Foster, brother of the famous composer, their
father, William Foster, had donated one and a quarter acres of ground
in the town of Lawrenceville to be "a
burial ground for our soldiers
forever, where they might be buried by right and not by sufferance."
Morrison Foster contends, "At the time this donation was made, soldiers
were passing through Pittsburgh continually, going or returning from
the front of war. Many of them died here and there was no place to bury
them except in a potter's field. My father, being himself the son of an
American soldier, determined that this should no longer be the case."
John Howard Tasker, author of a biography on Stephen Foster, speculates
that the actions of the elder Foster in the donating of the burial
ground may have been to appease his conscience for the profit that he
made on the sale of land to the government for the purpose of the
arsenal.
Whatever the motive, this contribution was extremely important to the
community since it served the area until the opening of the larger and
more prestigious Allegheny Cemetery. Although the original intent was
to use the cemetery strictly for military personnel, accounts indicate
that lots were sold to other members of the community. Also
known as
the Washington Burial Ground, an account revealed that at a public
meeting of the Lawrenceville Borough held at Saint John's Episcopal
Church at 5 p.m. on June 23, 1835, lots priced at $3.75 were sold to
James Reed and John Sarber. All transactions
were in full accord with
the regulations of the Washington Burial Ground.
The site stands between Main and Fisk Streets and now houses the
Stephen C. Foster Community Center and the Carnegie Library.
When the borough of Lawrenceville was incorporated into the city of
Pittsburgh in 1868, all public lands within Lawrenceville became the
possession of the city. Trouble began to brew over the site in late
1881 through mid-1882 when the Washington Sub-District School Board
elected to use the former burial ground for the purpose of erecting a
new school. It appears that the officers and directors of the
Washington Sub-District School Board of the City of Pittsburgh
petitioned the City Council for passage of an ordinance granting the
burial ground to the school district as the site for the erection of
the new school. City Council was in agreement with the school board on
the matter, and executed the deed of transfer on December 31, 1881.
Little regard was given to the remains
in the Washington Burial Ground
as work crews began to excavate the foundation and cellar.
This disrespect for the deceased aroused the bitter resentment of many
civic minded citizens, who took the school board to court in an effort
to halt construction of the new school. George T. Fleming recounts the
proceedings, "The legal phase of this history arose from the
desecration of the repose of the dead by the contractor through
preparing the cellars and foundations of the school. The contractor was
the employee of the School Board of the Washington sub-district, which
included the former Seventeenth Ward of Pittsburgh . . . All the facts
in the case will be drawn from the legal proceedings, especially in the
opinion of Judge Edwin H. Stowe, who granted the injunction asked
restraining the contractor and the school directors from proceeding
with the work, and in his opinion sat down heavily on the defendants."
The account shows J. Rogers Jeffrey, William D. Moore, A. M. Moreland,
Morrison Foster, plaintiff's vs. The City of Pittsburgh, J. W.
Ballantine, president; G. W. Edwin, secretary, Robert McChesney,
Charles Parkins, T. B. Stewart and S. McMahon, school board of
Washington Sub-District School of the Seventeenth Ward of the City of
Pittsburgh and Karns Bracken,
contractor, defendants . . . The bill opens by saying that the
plaintiff, J. Roger Jeffrey, was a citizen and taxpayer of the city of
Pittsburgh, and was a citizen and taxpayer of the borough of
Lawrenceville and was the next of kin
of certain persons buried in the
graveyard or cemetery lot which was in dispute; that William D. Moore,
plaintiff, next of kin of W. D. Moore, Sr., buried in the graveyard or
cemetery lot; that A. M. Moreland was of the next of kin to two
brothers buried there, with privilege to have all citizens and
taxpayers having friends interred in said burial grounds in dispute who
may desire to become parties thereto added. W. D. Moore further
complained that his father, W. D. Moore, Sr., then deceased, purchased
from the authorities of Lawrenceville at divers sales the right to
inter certain of his (W. D. Moore, Sr.'s) children, to-wit:
Elizabeth
and Mary; that they were sisters of complainant, and that he is, among
others, the next of kin of said bodies and the right of their interment
and the articles of value
interred with them."
The Fleming account also informs us that "The plaintiffs (orators', as
the law calls them), further averred that Colonel Foster in laying out
his tract into town lots and streets in 1814 set apart and solemnly
dedicated as a burial ground for soldiers and inhabitants of the
then
village of Lawrenceville, a tract or square of ground containing nearly
two acres, a full description of which, with plots was annexed to the
bill of complaint and made part thereof, and that continuously from
1814, when the grant and dedication to the public for burial purposes,
was
made by Col. Foster, the ground had been used and occupied as acquired
for burial purposes, until upwards
of 500 interments had taken place
therein, of citizens of Lawrenceville, and many soldiers of the
United
States Regular and Volunteer Army." The plaintiffs also argued that the
land was donated expressly for the purpose of a burial ground and not
for "educational purposes" as the school board petition had falsely and
fraudulently maintained.
Although the sentiment of the Lawrenceville residents side of the
plaintiffs, a compromise was eventually reached. Disturbed bodies were
to be removed to Allegheny Cemetery, while the remainder of the
cemetery was to be enclosed with a suitable fence. A school was
to be
constructed on the proposed site. This school constructed in 1885, was
known as the Washington Sub-District No. 2, until 1912 when the name
was changed to the Stephen C. Foster School. This school served the
community between 1885 and 1939 when it was closed following the
construction of Arsenal Elementary School.
As part of the settlement, a monument was erected on May 25, 1887,
which still stands as a reminder of the early days of the history of
Lawrenceville. This 12-feet high granite shaft bears the inscription:
"In honor of the American soldiers buried here. We will emulate their
patriotism, and protect their remains."
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Source: Extracts from a personal
letter from James Wudarczyk (author
of "The Bulletin" article) to Eunyce
A. Fina, a private individual
requesting information about the
burial grounds, dated April 9, 1991:
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. . .Last month, Mr. Allan Becer addressed the Lawrenceville Historical Society on the topic of Abraham R. Woolley,
commander of the Allegheny Arsenal. Mr. Becer contended that Mrs. Woolley and her child were buried at the Washington
Burial Ground. He alleged, as so many other residents of the area, that most of the graves were never moved to Allegheny
Cemetery, and we suspect that the remains were buried in a mass grave on a hillside behind what is now Foster Community
Center.
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(Mr. Wudarczyk). . .I tried to obtain a list of all persons buried at the cemetery, but found my efforts to be in vain.
Apparently all records of the borough of Lawrenceville were turned over to the city, then to the board of education, who
contends that they turned over all such information to Roman Catholic diocese since the Catholic Church purchased the
grounds to be used for the youth center. Since all these transactions took place between 1868 and 1950's, no one seems
to know where the records wound up. When I contacted the Catholic Diocese, they had no knowledge of the records ever being
transferred. As far as I can tell, these valuable documents have been lost forever.
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Source: Excerpt from letter of James Wudarczyk to Norm Meinert, July 7, 2000
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...Some of the names of those buried there are:
John Perry
Elizabeth Moore
Mary Moore
Sargeant Brigham*
Virgil David*
Robert Cinnamon*
James Anderson*
Sargeant McCullough*
Private John McCullough*
Private Allen Boyle*
Private Winterbottom*
Private Miller*
William Jeffrey
Nathan McDowell
Kennedy Moorhead
J. B. Wincombe
Callendar Jeffrey
David Hesham
John Jeffrey
Elizabeth Jeffrey
William Jeffrey
William D. Moore, Sr.
*soldiers
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Source: Extract of Ordinances for
Borough of Lawrenceville, 1834,
(before it became a part of
Pittsburgh), from James Wudarczyk
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AN ORDINANCE
Regulating the
Burial Ground.
Section 1. Be it ordained and enacted by the Burgess and Coun-
cil of the Borough of Lawrencvville, That for the purpose of order
and regularity with regard to the Washington Burying Ground be-
longing to said borough, there shall be one or more persons appointed by
the Burgess and Council, whose duty it shall be to grant permits for
opening the ground for the burial of the dead to those who may apply
for the same, and comply with the second section of this ordinance; and
one suitable person for Sexton.
Section 2. That no person or persons shall be allowed to open the
ground, or cause it to be opened for the burial of the dead, who shall
not first have procured a permit from the constituted authorities, for
which permit he, she or they shall pay as follows: For each and every
person twelve years of age and upwards, two dollars, and all under twelve
one dollar each.
Section 3. That it shall be the duty of the Sexton to open the
ground for all interments when required, to attend to the burial and per-
form all other duties usually required of Sextons; and he is hereby re-
quired to dig the grave for all persons twelve years and upwards, five
feet in depth, and for those under twelve; the depth shall be equal to
the length : Provided, nevertheles*, that no grave shall be less than four
feet deep; and for his services thus rendered he shall be allowed to
charge for and receive for all persons of twelve years and upwards, the
sum of two dollars, and for all under twelve years, the sum of one dollar
and twenty-five cents, to be paid by the person or persons by whom he is
employed.
Section 4. That no permit for the interring of the dead in the
Washington Burying Ground shall be given to any person residing with-
out the limits of said borough for less than five dollars over, and two
dollars and fifty cents under twelve years of age, which amount must be
paid to the Town Clerk before the permit is given, excepting such per-
sons who may have had relatives already interred in said Burying
Ground, to pay the same as though they were still residents of said Bor-
ough.
Section 5. That no permit shall be given to any person or persons
who shall not have first paid the sums required in the second section of
this ordinance, and the person or persons appointed to grant permits
shall keep an account of all persons interred, and an accurate account of
all moneys received and at the end of every three months, deposit the
same in the Borough treasury, and the Town Clerk is hereby appointed
to grant permits for the present year.
Section 6. That if any person or persons shall open or dig a grave
in the burying ground belonging to said Borough, unless duly author-
ized by the constituted authorities, every such person or persons offend-
ing, shall, upon conviction thereof, forfeit and pay, if the person for
whom the grave is opened exceeds twelve years of age, ten dollars; and
not exceeding twelve years, five dollars; to be recovered as the like
fines are recoverable by law : and the Sexton to receive his fees out of
said fine, if he shall apply for the same.
Section 7. In case of the inability of the Sexton, be may procure
some person to dig the grave for him, but shall be responsible in the
same manner as if he dug the grave himself. And in case of the death,
resignation, or removal from office of the Sexton, the Burgess, or, in
his absence, the Town Clerk, may authorize some person to act as Sexton
for the time, until such vacancy shall be regularly filled by an election
of the Council : Provided, The same shall apply to the person author-
ized to grant permits for the interment of the dead.
Approved the twenty-sixth day of July, A. D. 1834.
JOHN SARBER, Burgess.
Attest--S. H. SARBER, Town Clerk.
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You can visit the Lawrenceville Historical Society Home Page
at: http://trfn.clpgh.org/lhs/
or contact them at
LAWRENCEVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
P. O. Box 4015
Arsenal Station
Pittsburgh, PA 15201-0015
(412) 683-2114 Telephone contact = La Verne
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