General

Numerous opportunities are available for you to pursue your interests and to invest your talents helping maintain and preserve a unique part of Lancaster’s heritage. We are extremely grateful to the following persons and organizations who already share their time and skills to enhance the Cemetery:

In 1993, the Friends of the Lancaster Cemetery was established as an auxiliary group to raise funds to support beautification and special projects not funded by the Cemetery’s general budget. In 2001, the Friends raised funds and secured a development grant to create the Memorial Gardens. Other projects have included securing Lancaster County Foundation Grants to provide the security lighting throughout the grounds, tree maintenance, and painting of the caretaker’s home. Currently, members of the Friends assist with the annual Cemetery spring cleanup, produce the yearly newsletter, and support Victorian Day-the annual celebration of our Victorian heritage held the first Sunday of each June.

The Sons of the Union Veterans (SUV), under the direction of John Heine, maintains the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) lot, which honors Lancaster’s Civil War veterans. Over the years, the SUV has raised funds to restore the cannon monument and replace the flagpole. Additionally, you will find members of the SUV honoring all our Veterans with a Memorial Day service of remembrance held on May 30 of each year, as well as participating in our annual Victorian Day event.

Each year, the First Pennsylvania Reserves and Patriot Daughters of Lancaster support our Victorian Day by appearing in full Victorian dress and discussing the customs and traditions of the Victorian era. Several members provide vignettes of past Lancaster residents buried on the grounds.

The Youth Department of the First Methodist Church, under the direction of Lincoln Newell, supports us throughout the year helping with the spring and autumn cleanups and the painting of the Cemetery fence.

Highland Presbyterian Church Boy Scout Troop #99, lead by Scoutmaster Robert Williams and his wife Kathy, provides year-round assistance in a variety of projects. Our partnership with Troop #99 allows troop members to earn their community-service badges while providing us support for our on-going beautification projects, including fence painting.

Board of Trustees

We welcome all interested persons to consider the opportunity of serving on our Board of Trustees. Our Trustees, whose occupations, skills, and talents are exceptionally varied, provide a variety of perspectives on the issues and challenges facing the Cemetery. Typically, the Board meets four times a year and occasionally for a specially called session. If you would like more information, please contact the Cemetery office or Board President. (See biographies of Trustees for a current list of Board Members.)

Adopt-A-Grave

Perhaps you would be interested in maintaining a specific gravesite in the Cemetery. There are numerous opportunities for individuals, clubs, civic and church groups, and service organizations to care for and beautify the burial sites of such notable Lancastrians as Charles Demuth, the Hartman Family, Augusta Bitner, William Jenkins, and Henry Long, to name a few. On the other hand, there may be some other lot that is of special interest to you. For more ideas and suggestions, please contact us at info@lancastercemetery.org.

Victorian Day Celebration

Our annual fund-raising event is part of Lancaster’s yearly Victorian Day Celebration, held the first Sunday of each June. If you are interested in the history, customs, and practices of the Victorian Era, you may want to lend your talents to this fundraiser. Opportunities are available to provide walking tours of the grounds, highlighting noted Lancastrians or presenting a vignette of one of our residents.