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MAP OF THE HEADSTONES IN THE LIME KILN BG       INDEX OF THE HEADSTONES       FOR INFORMATION

LIME KILN BURIAL GROUND
Creek Road, Bethlehem, PA, in the Saucon Valley, near Hellertown

In use as a burying ground by the Pioneer Settlers prior to the Revolutionary War of 1775

The cemetery located on Creek Road is made up of two adjacent lots. The first lot consisting of 64 perches in the northwest corner, was part of the mill land of Jacob Kram of Lower Saucon Township. The heirs of Jacob Kram along with his wife Barbara, granted this tract of land to Samuel Kauffman, on behalf of the Mennonite Society and to Samuel Rothrock, on behalf of the German Baptist Society. The date of the unrecorded deed is April 1, 1802. Jacob Kram died on April 22, 1798 and is buried in the Lime Kiln Cemetery.

The second lot of 48 perches was granted to the above mentioned agents on behalf of the Mennonite and Baptist Societies by Isaac Rothrock and his wife Cathrout of Lower Saucon Township. Their deed is dated April 26, 1802.

According to the History of the Church Of The Brethren, published in 1915, this burial ground was in existence and occupied for many years before the death of Jacob Kram in 1798.
The Kram deed states that the 64 perches "being intended by lawful Conveyance to give grant and Confirm unto the menoist and Baptice Societice for to Build a house theron for Keeping School and Buplic worship therin and also for a graveyard for the Said Societice and Neighbours which will choose to burying their Deat (which Diet a Christian Death) therein and to hold a Burial Serman in the Said School House."

The Rothrock deed states the land is "for a Grave Yard or Burying Ground to inter their Dead in,which thy further agree shall be free to all other Persuasions of People to inter their Dead in who Die a natural Death. And also for the further purpose of Building a House on part of the said land to answer to the purposesof a Meeting and school house, which shall be free to all people in these two capacities,to which it shall be appropriated and shall be opened whenever required, to preach the funeral sermon of any person who may be intered in the said Burying Ground thereunto belonging therein."

According to a History of the Mennonites Franconia Conference, published in 1937, a stone in the Schoolhouse building states,
LIMEKILN SCHOOL HOUSE
Built 1802
Burned and Rebuilt 1854
Rebuilt 1891

The History of the Mennonities states that "Preacher Samuel Bechtel(d.1802), preached at Hellertown, while he lived nearby, from about 1750 until he moved in 1764." This author states that it is entirely possible that there was a meeting house the before the 1802 building.
The schoolhouse was converted into a house in 1954 and the above mentioned stone is no longer evident.

The History of the Church Of The Brethren published in 1915 describes the burying ground:
"The first thing that strikes the visitor to this ancient God's acre is the substantial character of the wall, and the large amount of space the wall encloses. This size shows the great importance of the place, to a large community in time past. This large space of this city of the dead is probably fully occupied. There are many small stones, and plenty of evidence of many unmarked graves. There are some larger tombstones, and a few newer ones, and of a more recent date, the cemetary itself being much neglected, and littlecared for. Except for the size, one might suppose the place to be the place to be of little importance by its neglected appearance inside. But the size, and the substantial enclosure are abundant proof that a community was greatly interested in perpetrating what to-day is not visible. This wall is the crystallized thought of a community, its visible testimony to buried interests within. This walled cemetary is about 100 feet square, and if the ground is fully occupied, as it seems to be, about 400 people lie buried her."

The Lime Kiln Cemetery contains fifty-one headstones, some with legible inscriptions, some unmarked, bearing the names of Derr, Geissinger, Guth, Heller, Hillegas, Kauffman, Kram, Newkomer, Riegel, Roth, Rothrock, Weber, Weinke,and Weinick. There are also sixteen stone markers. Of the unmarked headstones, some are of red shale. The earliest legible is in German and is a native stone marked: Cartherine Rigelin,1771. The date date of the most recent headstone that is legible is Sylvester Hillegas, born Sept.18,1846, died Feb. 9, 1894.

This burial ground contains the graves of the pioneer settlers who made their home in the Valley of the Saucon. Hellertown is named after the family of Johan Christoph Heller who, at the age of 50, with his wife Veronica and their six surviving children, aged 17 yrs. to 3 yrs., left Pfeddershein, Grmany to emigrate to America. They came to America on the ship Winter Galley, arriving in Philadephia on Sept. 5, 1738, and settled in Lower Saucon Township.

Dr. B.F. Fackenthal, Jr., who, in 1922, documented the tombstones in the Lime Kiln Burial Ground, counted 18 headstones belonging to the Heller family. Johan Christoph Heller,1689-1778, is buried in the Lime Kiln Burial Ground but his grave is unmarked. Chrisop's 4th child Daniel and Daniel wife Elizabth are buried here. Christop's 3rd child Johan Michael,1724-1803,is thought to be buried here as well.The Pennsylvania Archives,5th Series, Vol.8, includes Michael Heller,Sr.,his sons Michael,Jr. and David Heller, Samuel Rothrock and Bejamin Riegel, as having served in the Revolutionary War of 1775. These men are all buried in the in the Lime Kiln Burial Ground.

Each year a few vistors from around the United States make a stop here at the cemetery looking up their ancestors. George Heller, a recent visitor from North Dakota, is a great,great,great,great, great,grandson of Johan Christoph Heller. He came looking for and found the grave of his ancestor Magdalena Heller,1788-1812.

The name Lime Kiln is thought to derive from the abundance of lime in this area and the lime kilns which were in existence along the Saucon Creek many years ago.

The Menonist and Baptist Societies are not known to exist in the area today.

The trustee for the Lime Kiln Burial Ground is Calvin J.Boehm,Jr.,Friedensville Road, Bethlehem. Mr. Boehm states he is a descendent of Philip Boehm, a pioneer settler to Lower Saucon Township. The upkeep of the burial ground has been in the care of his family for generations.