Mechanicsburg - Lincoln Cemetery

Situated off W. Winding Hill Rd. in Mechanicsburg, PA (Upper Allen Township) is the Historic Lincoln Cemetery, also known as the Upper Allen Freed Slave Cemetery.  Once an overgrown, vandalized cemetery, now almost all of the headstones have been restored, and the grass is kept neatly cut.


A “freed slave” cemetery? The Upper Allen Freed Slave Cemetery, more widely known as the Lincoln Cemetery, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, serves as a burial ground for approximately eighty African-Americans.  According to local legend, this cemetery was originally used by escaped slaves who fled to the south in search of freedom.  Rumor also has it that some of the graves were moved here from another nearby cemetery at some point in the past, though this has not been confirmed.  Remains of twelve Civil War soldiers can be found in the cemetery - these men were discharged from the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), serving in the United States Colored Troops.

In recent years, the Vietnam Veterans of Mechanicsburg have realized the significance of the cemetery’s connection to the Civil War and set out to restore the site.  The memorial that greets you upon entering is the result of their desire to recognize the valor of the African-American veterans who are buried here.




As you visit Lincoln Cemetery, take note of the graves adorned with GAR markers and Union flags.  Two of these mark the resting places of John W. Pinkney and William Bridget (Bridges), who both served in the 22nd USCT, a regiment that helped defeat the Confederacy while suffering heavy losses in the Siege of Petersburg, and later marched in Abraham Lincoln’s funeral service.   Pinkney was discharged in January 1865 with a surgeon’s certificate, after having been wounded before the Petersburg battle.

Another of Lincoln Cemetery’s veterans, Richard Howard, served with the 45th USCT.  This regiment also fought in the battle of Petersburg, and took part in the events leading up to Appomattox Court House, where they witnessed the Confederate surrender in April 1865.

Other Information 
* Read an article from the Summer 1986 edition of Keystone Seekers Genealogical Quarterly, pages 45-48.  It concerns an African-American cemetery in Upper Allen Township, Cumberland County, PA, which has recently received some attention in the Harrisburg Patriot-News.