History Dive: Ashland Cemetery, Carlisle Pa
General History
Located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Ashland Cemetery was established by Col. William Penrose and consecrated on October 8th, 1865 out of a need for burial space. At this time, the Old Public Graveyard on East South Street was at capacity, with three others nearly full. When it was opened, bodied from nearby cemeteries were reinterred there to ease their crowding. It was run by a group of trustees, which included Alexander Black Ewing, who had been Carlisle Barracks' Post undertaker and founder of the Ewing Brothers Funeral Home.
The cemetery was under the control of the Penrose family until 1952 when the surviving two daughters sold it to Seymour and William Ewing.
Soldiers Lot
In March of 1866, the federal government bought approximately 0.25 acres on the north-western side of the cemetery to reinter bodies from the cemetery in Carlisle Barracks by 1871.
'500 Unknown US Soldiers'
Subsequent research identified 35 of the unknown, and by July of 1960, had erected a new monument reading, '500 US Soldiers Are Here Interred. [List of 35 Identified Soldiers] The Rest Are Known But To God.'
Post Script: Why am I doing a history post on a cemetery?
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