Shreiner Concord Cemetery

04/24/2026

On this beautiful day in early April, scores of people from near and far joined to commemorate the anniversary of the birth of US Congressman Thaddeus Stevens. The event is sponsored annually by Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, the Thaddeus Stevens Society. Chris Metzler and Ross Hetrick, respectfully, represented the two sponsoring organizations and each gave remarks.

A new name of the group of cemetery stewards was announced, along with its new status as a not-for-profit organization under IRS rules: the Shreiner Concord Cemetery Association has been formed to plan for the long term care of this historic community burial ground. Its new tax status, granted in January 2026, allows direct donations to the organization that are deductible as charitable donations. Donations to the Cemetery can now be made by mail to: Shreiner-Concord Cemetery Association, Inc., Post Office Box 2354, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603-2354. Eventually, the new Association will be able to solicit and accept online donations.

04/05/2026

Thank you, Mr. Mayor for your insight and for sharing these important stories in our local, state and national history. Thaddeus Stevens birth commemorative event at the Cemetery at 4:30 on Friday April 10. Hope you can join us there.

04/04/2026

Join with friends, neighbors, and associates to honor the life of Thaddeus Stevens -- the great statesman and civil rights advocate – at his grave and monument on Friday, April 10 at 4:30 PM.
This annual commemoration of the day of his birth – April 4, 1792 – is normally held on the Friday closest to that date, but the event date is changed this year due to the observance of Good Friday on April 3.
Sponsors of the event at the cemetery are Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, The Thaddeus Stevens Society and Shreiner-Concord Cemetery Association. The groups will gather at Stevens’ grave and monument for presentations and a reading of his famous epitaph:
"I repose in the quiet and secluded spot, not from any natural preference for solitude, but finding other cemeteries limited as to race by charter rules, I have chosen this that I might illustrate in my death the principles which I advocated through a long life: Equality of man before his creator."
Special celebrations this year will include the opening of the Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy at 13 E. Vine Street, a project of LancasterHistory, more than twenty-five years in the making. LancasterHistory will host the ribbon cutting for the $24 million Center at 9 AM on Friday, May 1.
Then at 12:30 PM on May 1, the Stevens Society will have a special awards ceremony at Shreiner-Concord Cemetery. The celebration continues Friday evening with LancasterHistory’s ticketed gala in the new and expanded Commons on Vine at the Lancaster County Convention Center, located directly adjacent to the Stevens & Smith Center.
Then on Saturday, May 2, LancasterHistory will host a free block party from noon to 6 pm on Vine Street in front of the new Stevens & Smith Center celebrating the opening. The event will feature music, art, history-themed vendors, food and beverage trucks, family-friendly activities, and much more. Admissions to the Center will be free during the Saturday Block party, though advance registration for timed-entry tickets is strongly encouraged. More information about these events is available through the LancasterHistory website: https://stevensandsmithcenter.org/events/

02/15/2026

Highlighting the life of Lydia Hamilton Smith ( 1815-1884) at another historic cemetery in Lancaster, commemorating the life a special person with close ties to Congressman Thaddeus Stevens on the dual anniversary of her birth and her passing. LancasterHistory organized the annual commemorative wreath laying at Mrs. Smith's grave. Robin Sarratt, President and CEO of LancasterHistory gave welcoming remarks to a gathering of about 20 on a bright and chilly day. Robin gave a warm tribute to Mrs. Smith, who, she said, made a positive difference in the lives of people in her time. She noted Mrs. Smith's many contributions to our community continue through to today. Robin invited the attendees to the long-awaited opening of LancasterHistory's Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy in Downtown Lancaster on May 1 and 2, 2026. For more information, see:

https://stevensandsmithcenter.org/

Deacon Brian Fabian of Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, Lancaster, shared a traditional funeral service reading and blessed the Smith family's gravesite. St. Mary's was Mrs. Smith's home parish when she lived in Lancaster.

Also presenting comments at the Cemetery: Ondra Haywood, Manager of Living the Experience at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Lancaster, who spoke fondly of Mrs. Smith as an inspiring figure in her own life as a professional woman of color. Lydia Smith herself, in the person of re-enactor and author, Darlene Colon, President of the Christiana Historical Society, thanked everyone for attending and was moved by Ondra's comments. Darlene has portrayed the noted 19th century entrepreneur and Stevens confidante for more than 25 years.

Also attending was Lancaster County Commissioner Alice Yoder and Rosalee Moore representing the Thaddeus Stevens Society in Gettysburg, Adams County.

In an interesting and sad parallel, Saint Valentine’s Day in 1884 was not only the day that Mrs. Smith died in Washington DC on the anniversary of her birth, but in New York, Theodore Roosevelt lost both his wife and his mother on this date in history.

Photo Below, Darlene Colon as Lydia Smith, with Robin Sarratt (left) and Mabell Rosenheck, LancasterHistory's Director of Education and Exhibit Planning.

Also, Deacon Fabian, Ondra Haywood, "Mrs. Smith," and attendees.

12/14/2025

The volunteer stewards of the Cemetery were happy to welcome Deb Stevens, wife of Michael Stevens, coordinator of Wreaths Across America for Lancaster County, and neighbors who attended the third annual ceremony at the Cemetery on Saturday, Dec. 13. Wreaths were placed on the graves of about 60 veterans who served our country. Most served during the Civil War and were members of the Grand Army of the Republic. One veteran, Sgt. Jonathan Sweeney, was also a member of the United States Colored Troops. He and his wife Anna Eliza are buried at the foot of the grave of Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, who fought for equal pay for Black soldiers when the Union Army tried to pay them a lesser amount. Thank you all.

12/12/2025

Volunteers are welcome to help honor more than 60 veterans interred at Shreiner-Concord Cemetery as part of the cemetery’s third annual national Wreaths Across American commemoration Saturday, December 13 at noon.

11/19/2025

Anniversary of one of the greatest orations...

On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on the site of one of the bloodiest and most decisive battles of the Civil W...

10/14/2025

Remarkable words about the life and work of a remarkable person.

09/15/2025

Saturday, Sep. 13 was a autumn beautiful day and 24 students from Millersville University spent a part of that day helping to make our historic cemetery even more beautiful. The students joined MU faculty, Honors College members and the Cemetery Association's Board members and volunteers to rake leaves, pull weeds, remove a tree stump and even re-set a fallen gravestone. The event was the annual United Way of Lancaster Day of Caring. Thanks to everyone who participated.

05/01/2025

April was a month of many major achievements and commemorative events at historic Shreiner-Concord Cemetery.

On April 3, a crew of students from Fulton Elementary School, led by teacher and Cemetery volunteer Josh Benner walked the grounds and picked up tree branches and other debris to clean up before the next day’s annual commemoration of the birth of U.S. Congressman Thaddeus Stevens. Our hearty thanks, all.

With the historic cemetery in fine shape, about 50 people gathered Friday April 4 to honor Mr. Stevens on the anniversary of his birth. Remarks were offered by Dr. Chris Metzler of Thaddeus Stevens College (who also serves as chair of the board of the Shreiner Cocord Cemetery Association) and Ross Hetrick, president of the Thaddeus Stevens Society. Ross is an active volunteer on the board of the Cemetery Association.

Before the event at the Cemetery, more than 30 Stevens Society members had a special preview tour of the Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy in Downtown Lancaster, sponsored by LancasterHistory. This long-anticipated historic site is scheduled to open about a year from now. For more information about this exciting project go to
https://stevensandsmithcenter.org/

Another milestone was achieved in late April with the repair or re-setting of 13 gravestones, funded by the Thaddeus Stevens Society and completed by Roth Cemetery Services of Willow Street. The Society’s $4,000 donation to the Cemetery Association addressed the most visible fallen, leaning or broken stones along the central walkway. SCC Board member and cemetery historian Andre Dominguez supervised the work. Great job, everyone.

And finally, on April 28, a group of students from Hempfield High School and their faculty members signed up for a tour through LancasterHistory of five sites associated with the Underground Railroad in the City of Lancaster. LancasterHistory’s staff member Randy Harris led the group first to Shreiner Cemetery where they learned about the life and accomplishments of Thaddeus Stevens.

The students also met author Mark Kelley, PhD, who wrote the premier biography of Lydia Hamilton Smith, who was Stevens’ long-time housekeeper, property manager and confidante. Mark has been a stalwart volunteer groundskeeper at the cemetery for well over a year, keeping the place in great condition. He has even taken over mowing the grass at the site, relieving the crews from the City of Lancaster who have taken care of that work for many years. Thanks, Mark. The historic site has never looked better. The City of Lancaster crews continue to assist with other support.

03/27/2025

Join friends and neighbors Friday, April 4 at 4:30 PM for the annual commemoration of the birth of Thaddeus Stevens. Thaddeus Stevens College, in association with the Thaddeus Stevens Society and Shreiner-Concord Cemetery Association sponsor this free public event to honor the life and legacy of a true American hero.