A Tri-fecta of Cemeteries

Commerce Village Burying Ground

Date Visited:  August 24, 2019

Stop:  #49

After the disappointment at our last stop – not finding the historical marker at Byers Homestead – Kathy and I were hoping for better results at our next destination.  Pulling out of the parking lot at Byers Homestead onto Tamworth Street, we turned right onto West Commerce Road and headed east.  We only had to drive 0.36 miles to our next destination – the Commerce Village Burying Ground.  Situated on the north side of Commerce Road, this historic cemetery is actually considered 3 separate cemeteries. There is the Commerce Burying Ground, the Mascord Addition Cemetery adjacent on the east side, and the Curtis Cemetery on the south side of Commerce Road.  The historical marker commemorates only the Commerce Village Burying Ground and is located at the western most entrance to the cemetery and sits next to a small chapel.

The historical marker is a two-sided sign.  Side one of the historical marker is more focused on the history of the cemetery and the historical figures that are spending eternity there.  It begins by stating that this was NOT the first cemetery in Commerce Township – that distinction belongs to the burial ground laid out on the Bela Armstrong farm in 1834.  However, most of the burials at that site were transferred to the Commerce Village Burial Ground when the Baptists platted the cemetery in 1837.  The marker goes on to mention the names of four important historical Commerce pioneers buried on the grounds.  The marker ends its dialogue noting that the cemetery is the final resting place for military veterans dating back to the Civil War, and just about every major American military conflict since.

Side two focuses more on the physical attributes of the cemetery mixed with a little bit of history.  It opens by describing the many different types of headstones and monuments found in the cemetery, and drops a couple of historical names from Commerce commemorated by one of the more distinctive monuments.  It also describes a study that was done in 1990 that determined there are 24 varieties of trees and shrubs in the cemetery.  The back side ends by stating that the cemetery was platted by the Baptists in 1837 and then transferred to the Commerce Township Cemetery Association 84 years later.  The Township took outright ownership of the property in 1950.

As you probably know by reading my previous cemetery blogs, I am fascinated by the people buried there.  If a famous, or infamous, person is buried there, I have to find that gravesite.  It was no different this time around.  While Kathy stayed relatively close to the marker, I set out to find some of the headstones for the people mentioned on the marker.  Huffing and puffing across the grounds, I failed to find a single “famous” person, but I did come across some interesting monuments and headstones.  Because it was getting late into the afternoon, we did not stay too long – otherwise I would have stayed until I found at least ONE famous person.  I need to keep in mind that on days we plan to visit cemeteries, I need to leave plenty of time to explore.

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