- History
- Photos
CHURCH OF SAINT MARTIN OF TOURS
CEMETERY
111 New Street
New Hope, PA 18938
On March 18, 1885 Father Stommel purchased, for $500, a five-acre strip of land, adjoining the original parcel of St. Martin of Tours, from James McDonnell for a icemetery and grass plot.
The unmarked grave of Mrs. Elizabeth Pidcock lies somewhere near the base of the impressive crucifixion statue in the center of the cemetery.
Her burial on Sept. 7, 1885, was the first at the New Hope parish.
Over the last 125 years the cemetery has marked the final resting place of those who founded St. Martin's and established the rich heritage that its present congregation looks upon with pride. It is a reminder that the parish has evolved from a small group of families struggling to build a monument to their belief; to a thriving parish dedicated to perpetuating that belief.
The names on the tombstones reflect the past and the present. Many are familiar names, whose descendants are still in the parish. Others are lost to antiquity.
The cemetery is a testimonial that the parish did not evolve in a vacuum; those interred there were as affected by world events as parishioners are today.
There are graves of those who survived the European famines and political upheavals. They came to this country to build a better life and to worship their God in peace.
And there are graves of those who fought for freedom; the veterans of the Civil War, The First and Second World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam.
The graves symbolize the fullness, the totality of St. Martin's heritage.
Because of this, the cemetery is not a dark, foreboding spot. Rather, it is a scene of peace and beauty, visually dominated by the crucifixion group which adds to the sense of fulfillment and serenity.
It is a reminder that those who rest there have gone on to that "greater glory" promised so often in the small parish church in which they prayed.
With the clearing of the back lot, Saint Martin's cemetery now has available plots for loved ones.
