Silent Sentinels of theNativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church Cemetery St. Mary's Carpatho-Rusyn Greek Orthodox Church, Shieldsburg / Salemville, PA. by Ryan P. Washlaski, Web Master, Raymond A. Washlaski & Peter E. Starry, Jr. "The Old Miner", Mining Historian Web design by Ryan P. Washlaski & Raymond A. Washlaski A Publication of the 20th Century Society of Western Pennsylvania Updated September 30, 2001
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| Silent Sentinels of the Carpatho-Rusyn Miners of Salemville Patch. |
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| Over 300 souls from the coal patch towns of
Salemville, Huron, Frogtown, and Andrico are buried in the Nativity of the
Blessed Virgin Mary Church Cemetery, Shieldsburg / Salemville, Salem Township,
Westmoreland County, PA. Most of the graves were marked only with common
field stone markers, all of which have been removed over the years. Now only
the depressions in the ground and a few gravestones remain to mark their
final resting place in a land far removed from their carpatho-rusyn homeland
of Galicia. The cemetery is now inactive and has not been used for burial for a great many years. |
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| The large 12 foot high Orthodox Cross, that marks the cemetery, was built and erected by Peter E. Starry, Jr. as a memorial to his first wife. | |
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| For over thirty years Peter E. Starry, Jr.
maintained this small cemetery, till he was unable to do so about ten years
ago. Since St. Mary's Ukranian Catholic Church now has only about ten
members, many of whom are also up in age, the cemetery is not maintained
as it once was. The grass is now contracted to be mowed by the Ukanian Club
of Shieldsburg, but many of the remaining grave stones are now hidden in
brush, or have sunken to odd angles, since most of the families of the people
buried here have long since passed away too, or have moved out of the
area.
Records of the burials and other church records have long since been lost or disappeared with the various priests that served the church. |
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