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Besides serving as a place of internment, a cemetery can hold various other meanings.
It can be a serene haven for reflection and solace, a place of beauty, a historical
repository, a refuge, or even an eerie spot. The primary churchyard at Salem Hellers
has been a continuous site for burials since the church’s inception. The earliest
recorded burial dates to 1737 (Barbara Beauchamp born 1694 died 1737), although
there might be an even earlier one from 1729. Notably, many of these early stones bear
German engravings.
Our cemetery spans approximately four acres and contains roughly 2,800 gravestones crafted from various materials including marble, granite, sandstone, brownstone, limestone, and white bronze, which closely resembles carved stone. Several gravestones bear distinctive ornaments such as doves, hearts, angels, depictions of cherished scenes or personal interests, meaningful epitaphs, and even one with an engraved skull and crossbones design. Our military veterans’ graves are identified and marked with fresh flags every Memorial Day.
The church recently embarked on a significant preservation project to repair numerous
monuments that required attention. We extend a warm welcome to all visitors who wish to pay their respects to those who have passed away. For any inquiries regarding locating a specific grave or inquiring about burial plots, please contact our church office at (717)-656-9249 or via email at info@salemhellers.com.
During World War I, the church contributed 19 servicemen to the war effort. As with many homes and churches during World War II, Salem Hellers displayed a banner with blue stars, one for each of our 77 members serving in the Armed Forces. Fortunately, none of the stars were replaced with gold stars, indicating that a serviceman had either been killed or was missing in action. In total, there are 144 veterans buried on the grounds, representing every war since the American Revolution. The cemetery is not merely a collection of stone slabs bearing the names of long-forgotten individuals; each one carries with it profound emotions, memories, stories of love, loss, commitment, and faith.