The Solebury Friends Graveyard is an important element in the historic landscape of Solebury Township. Solebury Friends Meeting was established in 1806. Prior to that time, Quaker families in Solebury attended Buckingham Friends Meeting.
The original section of the graveyard was laid out in 1808. Other sections were laid out during the 1800s as the need for additional graves arose. The oldest section is on the right side of the drive at the entrance opposite the Meetinghouse. Many of these graves have no grave markers as it was the Quaker practice in the early 1800s to not distinguish one grave from another “as this was contrary to the direction of the discipline”. Those graves that do have markers there have weathered over the years so that it is often hard to read the inscriptions on them.
On the opposite side of the drive from the original section Is a section known as Strangers Row. Solebury Meeting established this area to accommodate the burial of those who had no place else to be interred. Many were local families with young children who died during epidemics in the 1800s. Others were indeed strangers – Irishwoman, stranger found dead, baby from home in Philadelphia, unknown man found in woods. Members of the Mount Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church of New Hope were also buried here after their congregation disbanded.
In 1949, as the original graveyard was nearing capacity, the Meeting acquired an additional 7.4 adjoining acres. In the 1970s, a section was designated for local residents who wished to be buried in our graveyard. In the 1990s a new section was designated for cremation internments only. These graves are smaller than the traditional graves and they can accommodate two burials per grave.
One of the distinguishing features of our Graveyard is the fact that all grave markers are of a uniform size. In keeping with the Quaker principle of simplicity, all gravestones are the same size and only include the names and birth and death dates of those buried.
For more information on the Graveyard, please contact John Kellogg, Clerk of the Graveyard Committee, at kelloggjw@comcast.net or 609-397-8454.
