Barber Cemetery
The historical society is the caretaker of the Barber Cemetery and we have erected a new sign and new gate at the entrance. A crew of historical society members did the work.
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The sign was made possible with a grant from Crawford Heritage Foundation.
As you may know, the cemetery contains the graves of many people who died during a malaria epidemic as well as graves of soldiers from the War of 1812. It is located at the end of Richmond Street. It is an old cemetery and there have been no new burials for more than 100 years.
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Sadsbury Township gives us $500 each year to help pay for the upkeep. The society sells Daffins candy bars to raise fund for the rest of the upkeep. Various locations throughout the area graciously sell the candy bars for us as well.
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As our members are no longer physically able to do the work, we hire the work and the candy bars help pay those costs. This spring we also had a crew of community service workers help clean up the cemetery in preparation for the summer season. We are so grateful for that support.
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If you get a chance, please stop and see the cemetery. We feel privileged to be able to maintain the cemetery and our history.
A beautiful, peaceful cemetery lies near Conneaut Lake town at the end of South 1st Street just over the borough line into Sadsbury Township. Founded in 1836, it is a sad result of the prosperous canal era. With the raising of the level of the lake to provide water for the Erie Extension Canal, the flooded lands caused a malaria like epidemic. The cemetery records shows 89 people buried there, many of them children and young adults.
Our exhibit at the museum is small in nature, consists of a grave marker turned into the Conneaut Lake Police after it was found on a street in town, maps and photos of grave markers, work crews cleaning, repairing and replacing tombstones, landscaping and cleanup work, bridge building and flower planting. The real exhibit is the cemetery itself.
We encourage visitors to experience the calm and reverent feeling one gets upon walking across the bridge over Barber Run, and up the rise to the cemetery, sheltered by old growth trees.
Read the marker erected by the Historical Society with every person’s name and dates of birth and death carved.
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See the markers of the many children and young men and women who succumbed to the illness caused by the flooded land. See also, the several soldiers who fought in the War of 1812.
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The Historical Society is grateful for the opportunity to be to be the caretaker for this peaceful resting place, with much help from the community. You can visit this off site branch of our museum by traveling south on 1st Street, turn left on Richmond St and follow the signs.
In addition to the items in the exhibit, we have much more information related to the Barber Cemetery in our archives.