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Just as the Little White Church was in need of renovation, the cemetery behind the church required restoration as well. The gravestones were in various states of disrepair - some were broken, others were ready to topple because they were leaning over so badly, and many were soiled and weathered.
Considering that the Little White Church was established in 1844 by Reverend Jacob Snyder, it stands to reason that the people buried in this historic cemetery were among the earliest settlers of Palmerton. By conducting a row by row inventory of the names on the tombstones and by consulting from the 1915 Cemetery Trustees' meeting minutes and the 1946 Church Treasurer's Report and Mr. Richard T. Shoenberger in 1939 and 1940 established this fact in a booklet that he compiled in.
In addition to providing an alphabetical listing of the families buried in the cemetery, Mr. Shoenberger identifies the Bowman family name as the one that appears the most frequently. As a matter of interest, Mr. John D. Bowman, who passed away March 4, 1845, was the first to be buried in the cemetery and Mrs. Anna Maria (Bowman) Snyder Muffley was the person with the earliest date of birth, February 4, 1776. The last burial in the cemetery behind the Little White Church occurred in 1923 when Mr. George Shoenberger passed away.
Given its importance to the history of the Palmerton Area, the Palmerton Area Historical Society wanted to pay its respects to Reverend Snyder's congregation members in their final resting place. To make this sentiment a reality, the PAHS applied for a Technical Assistance Grants from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
In 2001, the PHMC awarded the PAHS another Technical Assistance Grant and assigned the consultant Ms. Lori Aument to discuss the specific needs in regard to the restoration of the cemetery. She met with Society representatives on site, assessed the condition of the cemetery, and made recommendations in an in depth report that she presented to the Society.
In 2008, Walters Monument Company of Summit Hill, PA, was hired to restore the historic integrity of the cemetery behind the church by resetting, restoring, and cleaning the tombstones.
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For additional information about the Little White Church, return to the main page and click the various links, or call 610-824-6954, or Email: contactus@palmertonhistorical.org.
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