June 1992 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Introduction Ullery Cemetery is located in Clay Township, a short distance east of the intersection of Cleveland Road and U.S. 33 North on the south side of Cleveland Road. Like most pioneer burial sites in the county, the cemetery started out as a family burial ground; it was originally located on property owned by the Ullery family. The cemetery was soon owned and maintained by the local Dunkard (Brethren, German Baptist) Church established in 1868. The Community Congregational Church became owners of the property in 1922. On August 2, 1983 the Ullery cemetery was transferred to the Clay Civil Township Trustees, who currently own and maintain the property. The Ullery cemetery over the years has been relatively well maintained and features many ornamental trees and shrubs around individual and family graves. The cemetery contains a combination of nineteenth and twentieth-century gravemarkers, most of which are intact. As is typical, many of the nineteenth century stones and markers are quite weathered. Some of the markers have various symbols and aphorisms carved on them --the most common motif depicts hands clasped in prayer. The early history of the Ullery cemetery is closely intertwined with that of the local Dunkard Church which represented a specific group of individuals often referred to as the Pennsylvania Dutch. The first church here was founded in 1868 by members of the this denomination --the second of its kind in St. Joseph County. The church was built to meet the growing needs of these Pennsylvania Dutch [1]; Ullery Cemetery is significant as one of the last remaining material vestiges of this cultural group in St. Joseph County. Historically and culturally cemeteries have evolved from being rural, predominantly religious entities to being more communal and non -denominational in nature. The Ullery cemetery is a good example of such a development. in recent years, despite urban development, changing attitudes have accommodated the continued coexistence of cemeteries with other features of the built environment. Cemeteries can thus be seen as more than just burial grounds. For example, they now often represent planned places of "beauty, [both] contrived and natural." In this respect, they have been appropriately described as "showcases for the aesthetic arts of [their] time."[2] The Ullery cemetery is located in an area of ongoing development pressure; it is most likely threatened by the possible widening of Cleveland Road, an extremely busy thoroughfare between U..S. 33 and the University Park Mall complex. In addition to the possible threat from development, over time damage from nature's weathering and man's vandalism compromise the integrity and sanctity of the site and its usefulness as material historic evidence. For these reasons, and in recognition of the historic 2