04/25/2026
In honor of “National Volunteers Week”….a repost about the Park Lawn Cemetery which is 99% run by volunteer effort….. a tribute to 165 years of community volunteers who have worked together to ensure that the Cemetery existed, that people were respectfully given their “last home”, that the Cemetery was maintained beautifully. Over the years various caretakers were paid (not a large amount) to maintain the grounds, but so much more goes into keeping the Cemetery financially sound, to sell lots, to keep accurate records of lots sold, and to record for posterity, the burials performed there. I can proudly say that at least two great uncles: Paul and Boyd Herrick, and my grand uncle, Free McElhaney, and my great great grandfather, Thomas Ralph McElhaney all served as Caretakers/Sextons of the Cemetery ….and Cindy and Kevin McElhaney both have ties to those same folks…… Special kudos to Joe Palmiter and Pudge (Joann Enterline) Liszka for the incredible efforts for many years…… now carried out by “several” of us….. thanks to Lori Harvey who serves as current Treasurer, and Tracy Davenport who serves as Secretary…and thanks to Robert Bates, who maintains the back half as well as performing other duties, after his full time job at Combined Tactical….we are indebted!…
A little history about the Park Lawn Cemetery:
It is believed people were buried in the back of the cemetery as early as 1850, when land was donated by Mr Richard Carr for this purpose. Richard Carr owned much of the land around the “Arch”, NorthEast and South of Kinsman Road, and up around the “Y”, including what is now the Greene Township building, (land which was also donated by Richard Carr for the construction of the schoolhouse, later called Dowling School.)…….(Imagine that there was no Kinsman Road at that time, 1850, and his property extended from Dowling School area all the way over to 322.)
The cemetery carried on as the “Jamestown Cemetery” and many of the very early Jamestown/West Shenango/Greene Township families are buried here, mostly in what is now the “back” section : Moats, Carr, Hitchcock, Kuder, Herrick, Artman, Aiken, Anderson (not my Anderson) McElhaney, North, Donner, Campbell, McLaughlin, Brockway, Moreland, Bailey, Bates, Throop, Blair, Crawford. The Cemetery was financially maintained by family, and church donations and the sale of lots.
In 1886 Dr WIlliam Gibson, who owned land from the Arch to the Cemetery, had a monument made and put in place, on a hill on his property…..and this was the beginning of the “Park Lawn Cemetery”, as he set up a corporation, with other Jamestown men, for this purpose.
Thus continued two cemeteries, side by side, until 1914 when the two reached an agreement and were consolidated. Since that time, the Cemetery has been known as the Park Lawn Cemetery. An early sexton (caretaker) was Thomas Ralph McElhaney, who served from about 1885 to 1913. From newspaper reports, he took meticulous care of the Cemetery, and enlisted family members to help, one being son Free Ralph McElhaney, who served as caretaker after his father’s death in 1914. Other caretakers have been Charles Brown & family, Ted Engstrom, Paul Herrick, Boyd Herrick, Joe Palmiter and JoAnn Liszka (Pudge).
Thomas Leary did much work to organize tributes to the veterans in the Cemetery. Tom Mowery, Chick Burns, Robbie Burns, Jerry and Rae McLaughlin, John and Jim Leary, and Bob Oakes helped with caretaking and grave digging at different times. Bob Oakes was a long time Secretary for the Board.
Betsey Ceremuga was treasurer for 20+ years, and Tom “Tweet” Shannon and Larry Onderko served for many years on the Board. Most recently, Dale Anderson, and Kevin and Cindy McElhaney along with Rob Bates, and Tom Dillen have done a wonderful job of maintaining the property grounds and handling burials.
A portion of each lot sold goes into an Endowment Fund, to provide for the Perpetual Care of the Cemetery Grounds, as provided by law. The money is invested in CD’s. Then expenses are managed judiciously to ensure moneys will be available in the future for needed care. Expenses include liability insurance, road maintenance, tree removal, mowing and w**ding, foundation construction, tombstone adjustments, heating and electric for the chapel, purchase and repairs of the mowers and other equipment, paying the company which digs the graves and finally, the payroll for employees.
The Cemetery has five directors, elected each year, who serve in a volunteer capacity to do the work of caretaking and recording of burials in Cemetery books.
A treasurer and secretary are appointed from volunteers as well, who handle the paperwork involved in selling lots and preparing deed certificates, and receiving monies for lots and burials, and paying the bills.
All in all, our beautiful Park Lawn Cemetery does not happen “by itself”, but by many years of dedication from members of the community, both in Jamestown Borough and from the outlying townships, as people stepped up to serve on the Board of Directors, as Treasurer or Secretary, as caretakers for the Cemetery.
Any questions can be directed to myself, Margaret A Patton at 440.813.6003 and I will link you to people who can answer if I cannot. There are lots available in the front section of the Cemetery. Donations are always welcome and can be sent to Park Lawn Cemetery, PO Box 148, Jamestown, PA 16134
