St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
415 E. Athens Avenue
Ardmore, PA 19003
St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church website
On August 16, 1765, the German Lutherans of “Merrion Township” banded together to purchase land for a place of worship and burial ground for “German Protestants, German Reformed and Lutherans, conjointly”. The earliest tombstone today in the Colonial Section is that of Johanna Müller, who departed this life July 25, 1766. In 1809 the trustees added ¼ acre to the burial ground by purchase of additional land, and 19 years later a wall was built enclosing the cemetery. Burial permits were first sold in 1833.
By 1844 the community had grown, and the cemetery was so well utilized that three acres were purchased, which became a redeeming venture by the creation and sale of burial lots to “Church Members and the public in general.”
The present frame and stone house was build that year; in 1852 the large stone house was erected. Land used for these houses is dedicated to cemetery use when the demand arises. A Sexton and cemetery caretaker were employed for the first time in 1844. Today a full-time caretaker lives on the grounds.
In 1888 and 1889 an additional five acres of ground were purchased, filling out the entire block bounded by Argyle Road, West Wynnewood Road, Athens Avenue, and Hood Road, its present boundaries, and all laid out in lots 8 feet by 16 feet.
The remains of over 200 war veterans are interred in St. Paul’s Cemetery:
| American Revolution | 42 |
| War of 1812 | 24 |
| Mexican War* | 4 |
| Civil War | 50 |
| Spanish-American War | 5 |
| World War I | 62 |
| World War II | 20 |
| Korean War | 4 |
* not officially verified
Information for this page courtesy of Daniel Joseph, archivist of St. Paul’s. Updated February, 2003