Recently I had a message from my good friend Brian. He saw my lament a short time ago, about running out of markers, and kindly sent me some pictures he took of one that he spotted in his neck of the woods. Thanks, Brian!
(Brian is one of the reasons I really need to get back into podcasting, as he's a particular fan of the show. But there turned out to be a lot of things happening in 2024 that were not on my bingo card, and every time I think I'm going to be able to make new episodes, something gets in the way.)
So to kick off October, we're heading down to beautiful Montgomery County to have a look at a cemetery. My longtime readers know I'm rather fond of cemeteries, and this is a lovely old one from the pre-Revolutionary days.
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| The marker stands inside the cemetery on Old York Road. Image courtesy of Brian Green. |
Rev. Jones continued to lead the Abington flock for ten more years. Following his death in 1729, he was interred in the Burying Ground; a metal plate has since been affixed to the cemetery fence, acknowledging his years of service. You can see it in a photo a little further down.
The church's next leader was the Rev. Richard Treat, who was installed as pastor in 1731. His was to be the longest pastorate in the church's history, encompassing 47 years and taking the congregation through the tumultuous decades leading to the country's independence. The French and Indian War took a heavy toll on the community, but the people rallied to keep the church afloat. In 1756, one hundred acres of land was donated to create a church farm, and the rental fees provided much-needed money for the church's survival over the next century. Also on this land was built a beautiful stone house, which became the parsonage.
Abington Presbyterian actually played a brief but direct role in the American Revolution, which I thought was particularly interesting. As I'm sure my readers already know, Philadelphia spent some time being occupied by the British. This was what led the members of the Continental Congress to grab the Declaration of Independence and make their way to Lancaster, and thence to Yorktown, to escape being arrested for treason. Well, while the Brits were camping out in the City of Brotherly Love, part of the Continental Army (that's the American side, to be clear) was stationed in Abington. The British soldiers frequently conducted raids in the countryside, stealing goods from the isolated farmers to provide for their forces. There was at least one attempt made by the Redcoats to conduct such a raid in Abington, and they marched up York Road. But the American soldiers were hidden behind the wall of Abington Cemetery, waiting; I don't know if they were tipped off or if they simply kept watch all the time just in case. What we do know is that they had the element of surprise on their side, which enabled them to drive off the British before they could raid the local farms.
Fortunately, the arrival of the Rev. William Tennent helped to turn the tide. He was the pastor at the Neshaminy-Warwick Presbyterian Church, in Warminster, and he came to Abington for an extended visit to lend his voice to the revitalization effort. Rev. Tennent was extremely well-known throughout the Presbyterian community for his dynamic preaching and his zeal for education. I won't get into him a great deal here; Tennent founded a religious school eventually named the Log College, which has its own marker, so I'll be telling you more about him in the future. For now, you just need to know that he helped to bolster the flagging ministry at Abington.
What also helped was the nationwide surge of post-war reconstruction. It was decided that a new church building would infuse new life into the ministry, and one was constructed in 1793. The old church, the one in the middle of the Burying Ground, was torn down; nothing remains of it today, although the cemetery does have signage indicating that it was the location of the first church. The new church was built on the west side of Old York Road, and served the purpose well. But by 1833, just forty years later, the congregation had already outgrown it. By using the stones of the existing church, they were able to build a new one on the site at very little cost. The church farm and parsonage were sold in 1856, and part of the funds from the sale were used to buy land along Susquehanna Road, where (among other things) they constructed a new parsonage. Today, part of that land purchase forms the church's parking lot.
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| Image courtesy of Brian Green |
As the 20th century loomed, Abington and the surrounding area underwent a period of incredible renovation, with the additions of new homes, schools, and streets, as well as a trolley connecting Willow Grove to Philadelphia. The church, ever in need of more space, added a new kitchen and pipe organ to its facilities and created a new Sunday School addition. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, this new addition was met with disaster. Early on the morning of October 6, 1895, a fire engulfed the Sunday School and spread to the church, and though many people fought the blaze valiantly, the fire made it all the way to the steeple and brought it crashing to the ground.
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| Image courtesy of Brian Green |
As to Abington Cemetery, it's quite remarkable in its age, size, and occupants. The first five pastors of Abington Presbyterian, from Malachi Jones onward, are all buried in a row; all five remained in the pulpit until the end of their lives, and their combined stewardship led the church through its first 148 years. Six patriots of the American Revolution are buried here, and in 1987 the Daughters of the American Revolution contributed a plaque listing their names; it adorns one of the stone gateposts on Old York Road. Another monument at the corner of the cemetery grounds, at the intersection of Old York and Susquehanna Roads, lists the Abington residents who served in World War I, including three who died in the various battles. Other noteworthy graves include those of Samuel Finley, fifth president of Princeton College;, Joel Mann, local farmer turned US Congressman;, Charles Grymes McCawley, Civil War officer for whom the World War II ship the USS McCawley was named; and Rev. Gilbert Tennent, son of Rev. William Tennent, one of the leaders of the "Great Awakening" religious movement of the 18th century.
In 1946, one other curious incident took place at the cemetery. It became necessary to widen Old York Road because of increased traffic and the growing trend of automobiles; as a result, part of the cemetery had to be sacrificed. This required the relocation of several graves, which in and of itself is not so unusual. It wasn't even expected to be particularly difficult, since the official records stated that there were only 21 graves in the relevant section. What took everyone by surprise was the fact that, once they started excavating, they uncovered a lot more than just 21 graves - in all, they disinterred and relocated 92 persons. It's said that some of these were Native Americans, but it's unknown whether that is true.
In 1992, when the blue and gold marker was added to the grounds, the Abington Cemetery was declared a state historical site. They no longer allow burials to take place there, due to spatial constraints; however, a section of the grounds has been converted to a memorial garden and they permit the interment of cremains in that area. While Abington Township has grown and changed in more than 300 years, the Abington Cemetery has remained much the same - a silent witness to Pennsylvania history and, to paraphrase a line from Sherlock Holmes, a fixed point in several changing ages.
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| Image courtesy of Brian Green |
Sources and Further Reading:
Except where indicated, all writing and photography on this blog is the intellectual property of Laura Klotz. This blog is written with permission of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. I am not employed by the PHMC. All rights reserved.
Now I have to go visit there. I love old burial grounds. Some located in Cheltenham.
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