The Charlestown Presbyterian Graveyard being associated with the Charlestown Presbyterian Church, was founded in 1743 on a portion of land given by Job Harvey. This church was located in the northwest portion of the present graveyard. In 1741 several members of the Great Valley Presbyterian Church split from the said church and after two years of preaching in houses and other places, located under the leadership of Rev. John Rowland-- the former pastor of Great Valley-- upon the present location in Charlestown township. The men who were among the early church officers were David Humphries, David John, Griffith Jones, Lewis Martin and Anthony Pritchard, Rev. Mr. Rolland died in 1747; his pastorate was followed by Rev. Mr. Campbell, who died in 1753; then Rev. John Griffith, Rev. Benjamin Chestnut, and Rev. John Carmichael. In 1774 Rev. Daniel McCalla was installed as pastor and continued until the breaking out of the Revolution, when he became a chaplain in the army.
It may be of interest to note the origin of the name of this church and burial ground. It took the name of the township in which it was located. To which we give the following: Charles Pickering, a friend of Wm. Penn, landed at Philadelphia. Being an adventurer, he started out in search of minerals. Traveling up the Schuylkill and along the Pickering Creek, he found what he supposed to be silver. Returning to Philadelphia, he received a grant from Wm. Penn for 5300 acres of land. After receiving title to the land he revealed his secrets to a friend, Charles Tinker, who was a miner. They built a cave for a laboratory, which was the firs dwelling of the white man in this section. Charles Pickering was so closely associated with the early history of this section that one portion of his name was given to the creek, and the other portion to the township, which included at that time; Charlestown, Schuylkill and Phoenixville. At Pickering's death his land was divided between 16 of his friends.
The present graveyard, being the original purchase, was situated on one of he earliest laid-out roads in this section. In 1731, a petition was presented to the Court, asking for a road to be laid out and built to connect Charlestown V. and Philadelphia, this connecting two important settlements. This road to be known as Egypt Road and this portion known as the Upper Egypt Road. One of the first persons to be buried in the graveyard was Lewis Evans, of Vincent township, who died May 19th, 1762. Within the boundary walls of this sacred lot lie buried several score of Revolutionary soldiers, so related by a draft of soldier's graves recently found. The grave of Dr. Samuel Kennedy, who died June 17th, 1778, is located here. Dr. Kennedy was appointed January 19th, 1776, as surgeon to Fourth Battalion Pennsylvania troops, commanded by Anthony Wayne, May, 1777, he was appointed senior surgeon in military hospitals, and in November, 1777, he was appointed senior surgeon and physician in general hospitals of middle department. Dr. Kennedy served with the army along the Canadian border, at Ticonderago, at Long Island, Brandywine, Paoli and Germantown. A hospital was erected at Chester Springs upon his property. Dr. Kennedy turned this property over without charge to the government. In his will he directed a wall to be built around the Charlestown Presbyterian Graveyard-- providing funds from his will.

Township Marker

Gate at Old Charlestown Presbyterian Cemetery

May 2005