User:Steveinnepa157/Shawnee Cemetery Plymouth Pennsylvania

Historic Shawnee Cemetery Plymouth, Pennsylvania new article content ...Chartered in 1870, the historic Shawnee Cemetery is the largest multi-denominational cemetery in Plymouth, Pennsylvania. The cemetery covers 13 ½ acres on the hillside above Plymouth. The cemetery is located alongside Mountain Road, at the Plymouth and Plymouth Twp border. The entrance road is approximately 300 yards above Second Street on Mountain Road.

The Shawnee Cemetery is the final resting place for over 15, 000 burials, including veterans from the Revolutionary War through the Vietnam War. The oldest surviving burial records issued by the original Shawnee Cemetery Association, date to September 5, 1873. At that time, the first burial permit, was issued for William, the child of Joseph Shock. The burial permit, numbered one, was issued on October 27, 1873. No records exist for the period between the charter date of October 1870 and September 1873. Although, some headstones and subsequent records seem to reflect burials in that three year span. Also, it should be noted that burials at the cemetery pre-date 1870, due to re-internment of earlier burials from other cemeteries.

Beginning in 1994, the once neglected Shawnee Cemetery, has been undergoing a transformation. Plymouth’s General Federation of Women’s Club was the first group to adopt clean up work at the cemetery. Their Community Improvement Program, headed by club President Janice Williams, was the driving force behind the reclamation work. Section by section, the once beautiful cemetery began to reappear from the overgrowth. A new shed was constructed to house the equipment needed to combat the never ending task of cemetery maintenance. Iron fences were painted, headstones repaired, trees removed, road repairs started and new street signs were installed. It was clear that the historic Shawnee Cemetery would live again.

In 2008, the torch was passed to the newly formed Shawnee Cemetery Preservation Association, led by SCPA President Amy Waltz. Building on the progress made by the GFWC the SCPA continued the tasks of maintenance and historic restoration. Current SCPA President Tom Jesso Sr. continues to led the volunteer efforts at the Shawnee Cemetery. Together with Maintenance Supervisor Henry Sobolewski and a small group of dedicated volunteers, cemetery restoration work continues to move forward. Volunteer restoration work is made possible through the generous donations from community and veteran’s organizations, descendants of cemetery lot owners and concerned citizens. In addition to routine maintenance, the cemetery has seen many improvements. Both physical and historical. The installation of benches throughout the cemetery, roadway repairs, brush and stump removal, selective tree removal, landscaping, painting, headstone and grave repairs, a new entrance road drain pipe and the soon to be installed new 35 foot flag pole, at the GAR lot, are just a few of the accomplishments. The reclaiming of several hundred graves from the overgrowth in the outer most sections, is continuing to provide historical data, as well as, defining the borders of the cemetery.

Shawnee Cemetery is once again a fitting resting place and a gathering spot for patriotic and historical events. Annual Memorial Day services conducted by the Plymouth American Legion Post 463 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1425 honor the more than 400 veterans who rest in the cemetery. On September 19, 2010 the Shawnee Preservation Association successfully revived the Victorian tradition of holding a family picnic at the cemetery.

Over 200 visitors attending the Family Day Picnic. A hymn sing, historical displays, memorial helium balloon launch, great home made food and fellowship made the event an overwhelming success. This year 2011, will mark the 2nd annual Family Day Picnic on September 18, 2011 from 1 to 4pm.

To join in and be apart of history, please consider volunteering a bit of your time and talents at Plymouth’s Historic Shawnee Cemetery. Visit the cemetery any day, dawn to dusk and pick up one of our informative flyers from the bulletin board located near the cemetery entrance or see the contact info below.

SCPA   P.O.Box 224 Plymouth, Pa 18651

History
The Shawnee Cemetery derived its name from the Shawnee Indians who once camped on Plymouth Flats. From it’s inception the Shawnee Cemetery was designed as a scenic, peaceful resting place. It’s tree lined avenues provided shade and gave the cemetery a Victorian park like appearance. The town of Plymouth was once the epicenter of Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal mining industry. Twelve collieries operated within and near the town of Plymouth. Coal dust, smoke, the constant clanking of machinery and locomotives, filled the air of the Wyoming Valley. The fresh air and sunny hillsides provided a quiet respite for all who visited the Shawnee Cemetery.

With the opening of the new cemetery, as it was first referred to, many residents purchased lots and removed their loved ones from older, smaller, overcrowded nearby cemeteries, to be re-interred in a family lot. This accounts for the numerous burials at the Shawnee Cemetery which pre-date the cemeteries origin. The oldest burial dates in cemetery are that of the family of Colonel George Palmer Ransom. In 1903, descendants of George Palmer moved the Ransom family from Shupp’s Cemetery, located in the current boundaries of Larksville,  to the Shawnee. Colonel George Palmer Ransom was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. George Palmer Ransom was born on January 3, 1762. At the age of 14, he served alongside his father Captain Samuel Ransom in the 2nd Westmoreland Independent Company. In 1787, George Palmer was commissioned as Captain of the Plymouth Company, 1st Battalion Luzerne County Militia. Colonel Ransom continued to serve our country into the War of 1812 era. He died on September 5, 1850.

Many other prominent families and pioneers of Plymouth are buried at the Shawnee Cemetery. Family monuments of the Blair, Davenport, Davis, Gaylord, Jones, Picton, Ransom, Shonk, Shupp, Thomas and Smith can be found throughout the cemetery. In 2012, research has uncovered evidence that at least two additional Revolutionary War Veterans are buried in the Shawnee Cemetery. They are; Abram Nesbitt and Philip Shupp. Both men are recognized as American Revolutionary War veterans and patriots, by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.

Abram Nesbitt was the son of James Nesbitt and Phebe Harrison Nesbitt. Abram served along with his father James in the Captain Franklins Company of the Independent Militia, organized in the Wyoming Valley of northeastern Pennsylvania. Abram Nesbitt died on January 2, 1847. Abram is buried in lot 443, at the Shawnee Cemetery. His wife Bethia Nesbitt, who died on December 16, 1851, rest near Abram.

Philip Shupp served in the Northampton County Pa Militia. Philip died on March 16, 1823. Philip and his wife Catherine who died on March 15, 1838, were originally buried at Shupp's Cemetery, Plymouth. Later, their remains were moved to the Shupp family lot number 845, at the Shawnee Cemetery.



Over four hundred veterans are buried within the Shawnee Cemetery. Fifty four veterans of the Civil War and Spanish American War rest in two separate lots purchased by the GAR ( Grand Army of the Republic) Post 109. Captain Asher Gaylord Post. In 1926, a flag pole was erected in the lower GAR lot. It was donated by Joseph Becker, outside foreman at the Nottingham Colliery. GAR Post 109 was named in honor of Captain Gaylord, who was killed in action while leading his men into battle at Hatcher’s Run, Virginia on February 7, 1865. Captain Gaylord’s body was never recovered. His name lives on though, on the north side of the Gaylord family monument, at the Shawnee Cemetery.

Disasters
The Shawnee Cemetery is also the final resting place for victims of several disasters.



Avondale Mine Disaster
On September 9, 1869 a fire broke out in the shaft of the Avondale Colliery, in nearby Plymouth Township. The fire quickly spread and engulfed the entire coal breaker building, which was built directly over the mine shaft. This shaft was the only entrance and exit for the mine. At the time of the fire, one hundred and eight miners were busy working in the mines. As the fire raged, it quickly consumed the oxygen from the mine and filled the underground mine chambers with deadly gases. All one hundred and eight miners perished from suffocation. Two more brave miners also perished in their later attempts to rescue their fellow miners. The majority of miners of Welsh descent were buried at the Washburn Street Cemetery, Hyde Park section of Scranton, Pa. Other victims were buried Shupp’s Cemetery, which was Plymouth’s community cemetery, at the time. Later on, several families had their loved ones removed from Shupp’s Cemetery to be re-interred at the Shawnee. Avondale Disaster victims, John D Clark, Daniel Edwards, William Morgans and Daniel Woods rest at the Shawnee.

Powell Squib Factory Explosion
On February 25, 1889 an accidental explosion at the Powell Squib factory claimed the lives of eleven girls and one male employee. The girls ranged in age from fourteen to twenty two. The factory manufactured explosive detonators, known as squibs, which were primarily used by the mining industry. A squib is a small paper tube filled with black powder. At the time, young girls were often employed at such factories, to supplement their families income. Ten victims are buried side by side at the cemetery. They are: Mary H Lake, Kate Jones, Jane Thomas, Kettie Jones, Gladys Reese, Mary Walters, Esther Ann Powell, Ruth Powell, Maggie Richards and George Reese. Esther Ann and Ruth Powell were nieces of factory owner John R. Powell. A beautiful monument was erected to memorialize the victims of the disaster. A poem on the side of the monument echoes the sentiment of those buried at the monument. “Together they sleep on the sloping green, Where the flowers bloom neath the sunlight beam, and the soft breezes sigh through the willow tree, that nods o’er the grave at the sunny Shawnee.”



Gaylord Mine Disaster
On February 13, 1894, thirteen anthracite coal miners perished at the Gaylord Colliery, in Plymouth. Six victims are buried at the Shawnee. At the time of the disaster, the miners were working on re-opening old mine chambers, when a massive collapse of the mine roof occurred. It took two months to recover all thirteen men. The body of Assistant foreman Thomas H Picton was the last to be recovered, on April, 9 1894. Thomas is buried at the Picton family lot. Three Welsh miners who boarded with the Picton family are also buried at this lot. They are; Thomas Cole, Thomas Leyshon and Thomas Merriman. Gaylord victims’ John D Morris and Daniel Morgan are also buried at the Shawnee.



Epidemics
Throughout the late 19th and early 20th century several epidemics decimated the population of Plymouth. The 1885 Typhoid fever epidemic and 1902 Small Pox epidemic accounted for numerous burials at the Shawnee. As with all epidemics, the very young and very old were particularly susceptible during the outbreaks. Some epidemic victims were buried in one section, in the rear of the cemetery. Others persons who could not afford a burial lot were also buried in this section. Simple cast iron metal markers containing a number are all that marks the graves of these individuals. No records exist to identify the numbered markers to the name of the deceased. Through extensive research, we have concluded that the metal markers were issued by the County and provided to hospitals, morgues and the Poor Authorities. The numbered markers were then used to mark the graves of the deceased. Efforts are continuing to pursue archival information regarding the identity of those buried in the marker section.

20th Century
From its origin, burial lots were sold at a reasonable cost, to make them affordable by the general population. As a result, the cemetery was not intended to be very profitable. As early as the 1930’s the condition of the cemetery began to deteriorate. The need for constant removal of vegetation overgrowth, coupled with cemetery maintenance, was a daunting task, for the caretaker. Dedicated hard work by the caretakers was the only thing which keep the 13 acre cemetery looking good.

As time passed and less lots were available for purchase, the cemetery began to experience serious financial difficulties. Monies given years ago, for perpetual care of graves, could not sustain the ever growing costs of cemetery maintenance. When all lots were sold the cemetery did not generate any new money. Eventually, perpetual care funds were exhausted. At this point, the care of graves was left to individual families, who either maintained graves themselves or paid others to do so. Graves of persons who descendants either moved out of the area or were deceased themselves, became completely overgrown.

By the 1990’s, entire sections of the Shawnee were completely hidden under a canopy of wild blackberry bushes, poison ivy, saplings and all manners of weeds. In stark contrast, were the few lots, which were always maintained. Seventeen years of maintenance and restoration work, done by volunteers, have given the Shawnee Cemetery a new lease on life.

The results of this work can be see at the historic Shawnee Cemetery, in Plymouth, Pa. Although, so much has be done, a 13 acre cemetery requires constant maintenance. Volunteers are needed, with projects and tasks for all ages and abilities. The Shawnee Cemetery is currently being maintained by The Shawnee Cemetery Preservation Association. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShawneeCem/