'The Gravediggers' To Lead Public Tour Of Historic Newtown Cemetery

NEWTOWN, PA —The Newtown Historic Association and the Newtown Presbyterian Church will host a fascinating presentation of the history and restoration of the Old Presbyterian Church Graveyard and the Slack Cemetery on Sunday, March 24.

A 2 p.m. presentation by 'The Gravediggers' will be followed by a guided tour of the restored headstones and footstones at the Old Presbyterian Church Graveyard at 76 N. Sycamore St., Newtown 18940.

The Old Presbyterian Church Graveyard had fallen into considerable disrepair over the years so the Newtown Presbyterian Church hired the Keystone Preservation Group of Doylestown to complete a survey of the grave markers in the historic church graveyard.

Church members, along with some community assistance, including the Boys Scouts, soon joined in a 10-plus-year project to restore the aging, weathered stones at the graveyard and at the Slack Cemetery in Lower Makefield.

The monumental project started with the grit and determination of the volunteers to identify, clean, straighten, repair, and reset the headstones and footstones in the graveyard. Some of those volunteers soon became lovingly known as "The Gravediggers."

While many are familiar with the history of the Old Presbyterian Church Graveyard dating back to the 1700s, many are not familiar with the Slack Cemetery. The Slack Cemetery is a small plot, only about 30 feet by 100 feet. The Reverend Henry Martin and his wife Elizabeth (who was a Slack) are interred there. The Rev. Martin was the first installed pastor of the Newtown Presbyterian Church (1754–1764).

In the Old Presbyterian Church Graveyard, there are currently 308 known plots with headstones, and those 308 plots represent 341 individuals with the earliest burial dating to 1761.

During the program, 'the Gravediggers' - Philip Winn, Brent Wiggins and Pam Allen - will share the intimate history of the graveyard and firsthand accounts of the activities it took, like the use of ground penetrating radar (GPR), to complete the massive project.

For more information, visit the Newtown Historic Association website or call 215-968-4004.