Crossroads Cemetery BY SCOTT PHILPOT
The Old Stone Church stands watch over Monroeville, rising from its hill above Route 22 like a quiet sentinel of the past. For generations, people have known the church, its weathered stone, its presence on the landscape, but fewer have paused to consider the stories held in the cemetery that surrounds it.
Long before the church was built, the land served as a resting place for one of the area’ s earliest families. Crossroads Cemetery began as the Johnston family burial ground, established in the late 18th century when this region was still frontier. The earliest grave may belong to Mary Clugston Johnston, laid to rest in 1796. She was the sister-in-law of Captain Robert Johnston, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, and one of the many early settlers who helped shape the community.
By the early 1830s, the growing population in the area led members of Beulah Church, in present-day Wilkins Township, to seek a place of worship closer to home. In 1834, John Johnston and Joel Monroe sold a parcel of land— right at the heart of what would become Monroeville— to church trustees for the symbolic price of one dollar. Included in that land was the small family cemetery. Soon after, construction began on a church overlooking the graves. That building would become the first Crossroads Presbyterian Church, and the Johnston burial ground would grow into the cemetery that remains there today.
As the years passed, the cemetery became filled with names of the region’ s early families: Aber, Beatty, Clugston, Graham, Haymaker, Johnston, McCully, McGinley, Ramsey, Speelman, Thompson... names that still echo through local history. The gravestones tell a quiet story of community and connection— more than 50 Beattys, more than 25 Tilbrooks, more than 35 Johnstons, a dozen Abers and McGinleys, and dozens more from intertwined families like the Grahams and Ramseys.
Together, they form a record not just of individuals, but of generations who lived, worked and built their lives in this place.
Among them rest those who served in times of war. Seven veterans of the Revolutionary War lie in Crossroads Cemetery, including Robert Clugston, John Gill, James Jordan, George Lang, a member of the Snodgrass family whose first name has been lost to time, and Robert and William Johnston. Their graves mark the earliest chapter of the nation’ s history.
Nearby is Samuel Snodgrass, who served in the War of 1812, and beyond him, rows that reflect the country’ s later struggles: 54 Civil War veterans, two from the Spanish-American War, 43 from World War I, 45 from World War II, five from the Korean conflict and two from the Vietnam War. A handful of these individuals served in more than one conflict, their lives spanning multiple chapters of American history.
Today, Crossroads Cemetery remains an active burial ground, still connected to the community it has served for more than two centuries. Standing among its stones, it is easy to feel the passage of time not as something distant, but as something rooted firmly in the ground beneath your feet. Here, history is not only remembered; it endures.
Each year, the Memorial Day Parade makes its way to Crossroads Cemetery, where it concludes with a patriotic ceremony honoring the fallen who are buried there. It is a moment of reflection, set among the very stones that mark generations of sacrifice.
For those attending this year, take a little extra time to wander among the graves. In doing so, you may find yourself stepping quietly into Monroeville’ s past, where each name and date tells a story waiting to be remembered.
Be sure to stop by the Old Stone Church as well. Members of the Monroeville Historical Society will be on-site, offering tours and sharing the rich history of the community, always ready to answer questions and help bring the past to life.
For more information, visit monroevillehistorical. org or follow the MHS on Facebook @ MonroevilleHistoricalSociety. Or join a regular meeting the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p. m. at the Monroeville Library.
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