Frequently Ask Questions

Q. What are the Cemetery hours?

A. The grounds are open daily, weather permitting, throughout the year from dawn to dusk. Please be respectful of the grounds, and leave all pets at home.

Q. Are there burial lots still available in the Cemetery?

A. Yes! Although the perception is that the Cemetery grounds are full, we have over 300 lots readily available for purchase. Moreover, the Memorial Garden was created more recently to accept cremation internments.

Q. How many people are buried here?

A. Our files record 15,349 burials as of 2015, but based on historical documents, the real number is most likely closer to 18,000. We have discovered names of individuals who were not registered in the daily ledger books. Also, during the Great Influenza (“Spanish Flu”) Epidemic of 1918-19, burials were made quickly and often not recorded.

Q. Do you know how much fence surrounds the Cemetery?

A. There is 3,371-1/4 feet of fence-or roughly 3/4 of a mile-including the fence that divides The Lancaster Cemetery from Saint Mary’s Cemetery to the east.

Q. Does the statue of the young woman on the gravestone look like the young bride buried at the gravesite, and did she really die on her wedding day?

A. The statue marks the burial site of Augusta Bitner. It is an artist’s inspired sculpture but does reflect Augusta’s image. Augusta married Stanley Tevis and moved to Philadelphia. She gave birth to one daughter and died the following year from typhoid fever.

Q. Are only Veterans of the Civil War buried in the Cemetery?

A. No, we actually have one Revolutionary War Veteran, J. Michael Kline, who was born on August 4, 1744 and died on August 21, 1828. He was moved to the Cemetery from his original burial place in the St. James Episcopal Church Cemetery. In addition, numerous veterans have been buried here who represent all subsequent conflicts. The total number of veterans buried in the Cemetery is 1,034.

Q. When was the first person buried here?

A. The first burial was Alice Louisa King, who died on June 6, 1848.

Q. Who has the oldest headstone?

A. The oldest headstone in the Cemetery is a German Baroque brownstone marking the gravesite of William Bausman, who died in 1784.

Q. Is there only one mausoleum in the Cemetery?

A. Yes, the Keller Mausoleum is the only structure of its kind above ground. However, there are seven underground burial chambers or crypts that are completely hidden from view, but these are generally unmarked in accordance with the wishes of the families to help keep them safe and undisturbed.

Q. Who designed the Cemetery’s entrance gate?

A. The Cemetery entrance was designed by noted local architect C. Emlen Urban. The gateway, constructed in 1906 of Indiana Limestone, replaced an earlier chapel that was seldom used.