( Left Text )
The plan of Sunbury consisted of three community-owned squares: King's Square, Meeting Square, and Church Square. You are standing in the area that was once Church Square. This 350 by 350-foot area held the church to the north and the cemetery to the south. The cemetery was established with the town in 1758 and was used until early 1900s. The cemetery is defined today as a one-acre lot, but it was originally much larger. There may be unmarked graves outside the fence.
( Right Text )
Since Church Square held the only church and public cemetery for miles, many people were buried here in the 1700s, 1800s, and 1900s. The earliest marked grave is dated 1788, and the most recent grave is dated 1911. We can identify who was buried at many of these graves because of the stone markers. However , other early graves did not have tombstones, and we think many markers have been lost over the last two centuries. There are still mysteries to solve at Sunbury Cemetery.
The Sunbury Cemetery became overgrown in the late twentieth century. Local neighbors and the Society of Daughters of American Colonists have cleaned up the area, and they continue to study and watch over the cemetery.
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