Lincoln Cemetery (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)

Historic African American cemetery in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Lincoln Cemetery was founded in November 1877 by the Wesley Union African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (A.M.E. Zion Church), ^[1] and is located at 201 South 30th Street in the Susquehanna Township area of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.^[2][3]

History

The oldest extant Black cemetery in Harrisburg, Lincoln contains many people re-interred from the approximately five original African-American Burial Grounds in the city of Harrisburg. Members of the Wesley Union church, spread out through the Harrisburg Area, were active in the Underground Railroad.^[1] Civil War veterans, including Ephraim Slaughter, the last surviving Civil War Veteran of Harrisburg are buried in the cemetery. He served in the 37th regiment of the U.S. Colored Troops and the 3rd N.C. Colored Infantry.^[1][4] It is the site of one of the historical markers in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.^[5]

Restoration

In July 2021, part of the descendant community of Lincoln Cemetery began clean-up, restoration and reclamation of the grounds.^[6]

Notable people

• William H. Day, abolitionist, educator, and newspaper publisher^[1][3]
• Thomas Morris Chester, African-American attorney and Civil War correspondent^[1][5]
• Harriet McClintock Marshall, nicknamed "Ma", assisted with the care and education of the escaped slaves traveling on the Underground Railroad stop located in the old Wesley Church.^[1]

See also

• Mount Zion Cemetery (Kingston, New York)
• St. David African Methodist Episcopal Zion Cemetery

References

1. "Story Ideas: African American History in PA's Hershey & Harrisburg Region". www.visithersheyharrisburg.org. 2019-01-28. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
2. "Lincoln Cemetery, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania", maps.google.com
3. "Hallowed Grounds African American Patriots of Pennsylvania". housedivided.dickinson.edu. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
4. "Black History Month: Ephraim Slaughter went from slave to soldier to successful businessman". 2019-02-07. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
5. Fleagle, Rachel. "The Historical Prevalence of the Lincoln Cemetery". The HawkEye. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
6. "SOAL". lincolncemtery.org. Retrieved 2022-12-19.