The "Beyond The Grave: A Tale Of Roadside Cemeteries" Story

Roadside cemetery at Rts. 30/283W and 501N

It was an ordinary day.  Slowed down in traffic on an exit off SR30/ 283W, where it enters on SR501N, so my wife can snap a photo of the small roadside cemetery that sits along the exit ramp.  She said she remembered reading about the cemetery years ago.  Said that a local boy scout was cleaning the cemetery of debris and taking care of it for the summer for his Eagle Badge.  I kind of remember that too, but couldn't find any stories to document that fact.  There are probably hundreds of cemeteries in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, many of them directly along roadways with many covered with weeds and vegetation.  

The Buch Family Cemetery on Buch Ave. in Manheim Twp.
Notice the car passing by the roadside cemetery. 

During my daily travels I constantly pass the cemetery which my wife just photo- graphed.  Often tempted to stop and look at some of the tombstones, but it doesn't look safe with constant traffic passing closeby.  Since Lancaster borough was chartered in 1742, there have been many roadside cemeteries established, primarily by families.  Lancaster was settled by immigrants from Germany and Switzerland who were Mennonites and Amish.  

One of the few headstones in the Buch
cemetery that was readable.

Besides being considered "Plain people," they were German Lutheran and Reformed.  It is said that Hans Tschantz, the first Mennonite bishop in Lancaster County set aside a graveyard in West Lampeter Townshp in 1740.  The land for the graveyard was laid out for the Swiss pioneers in 1710 with the oldest tombstone in the Tschantz graveyard dated April 20, 1739.  I'm not sure if the Tschantz Cemetery is located along a county road, but there are many such cemeteries in Manheim Township where I live.  I took a trip through Manheim Township recently and easily found a few cemeteries straddling the side of county roads.  One such site was on Buch Ave. near the farm where I buy strawberries in the spring.  Many of the tombstones carry the Buch name so I assume many of the Buch family, which still survives in Manheim Township, are buried in the roadside graveyard.  Recently quite a few of these tombstones were damaged.  

The lovely Bassler cemetery bordering Fruitville Pike.

When I stopped to take photographs, I noticed that one large one had been rather poorly repaired.  Another roadside cemetery about a quarter mile from the Buch gravesite is the Bassler Cemetery which is located along what was once called Fruitville Turnpike and is now known as Fruitville Pike.  Neat little 30 by 40 foot shaded cemetery that has 29 headstones marked with the Bassler name or Bassler linage.  

One of the few readable headstones in
the Bassler cemetery.  

About a mile away I found a roadside Amish Cemetery with a black wrought-iron fence around it with about 30 tombstones in it facing away from the road.  After doing more research I found a book by Troy Taylor titled "Beyond The Grave" which talked about the mystery and history of the cemetery in America where he talks of "garden" cemeteries much like those found in Europe in the 1800's.  Many of those were found in churchyards, but my guess is that many found their way into the corner of the family property which eventually had a paved roadway go past it.  Search through your neighborhood and see if you too can't find a few roadside cemeteries.  History can be exciting!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The Amish cemetery that is surrounded with a wrought-iron fence.