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HISTORY Oak
Hill Cemetery began as a small 2¼ acre plot in December
1856 when William Irvin conveyed a parcel of land to the Curwensville
Borough
for burials. Three additional parcels were conveyed by Mr.
Irvin’s son Col.
E.A. Irvin, and the remainder of the property came from Charles E.
Patton and
the heirs of Hon. John Patton. The borough conveyed it’s
interest to the
Cemetery Association in 1894. The cemetery now spans about 65 acres on
a grassy
hilltop above the town (north on Thompson Street) and is maintained by
the Oak
Hill Cemetery Association, a nonprofit organization with a sizable
board of
local volunteer citizens. The
Irvin and Patton families, both of which played key
roles in the early growth and development of Curwensville are interred
here.
Before his death in 1908, Col. E.A. Irvin had become the last surviving
field
officer of the famous Civil War Bucktail regiment. Several other
ranking
officers are also at Oak Hill including Irvin’s cousin Col.
John Irvin,
Brigadier General W. Ross Hartshorne, and Captains J. Elliott Kratzer,
John
Norris and John P. Bard. Captain John Patton Bard was the owner of the
Curwensville Herald and his newspaper history of the “Old
Bucktails”
contributed greatly to the popular regimental history published by
Thomson
& Rauch in 1906. Some
other Civil War veterans from Maine and Ohio
regiments are here along with a Lt. A.B. Cole who is said to be the
last
Bucktail to die in the Civil War on the battlefield of
Hatcher’s Run. Also, numerous
notable figures and families from the town’s earlier days are
here. In fact,
Roland Swope Jr., author of the ”Twentieth Century History of
Clearfield
County” rests in the Swope family plot, which is marked by
one of the tallest
monuments on the grounds. The Patton family plot holds the other
tallest
monument.
OPERATION Every
burial plot is numbered and a permanent record is
maintained to guard against loss, assuring perpetual identification of
all
persons interred in the cemetery. One of the greatest benefits derived
through
this local and volunteer management of Oak Hill is the perpetual care
of all
lots provided for in the deed of purchase. The
heated chapel and open gazebo are available for
funerals, free of charge, and the grounds are a beautiful place to
visit and reflect
on the lives of loved ones lost. A variety of headstones and monuments
of
different designs and proportions can be found throughout the scenic
grounds. Some tell
a story while others
have been obliterated by the elements from well over a century of wear
and
tear.
For information on Burial Sites: Current Plot Prices: $300/grave Have questions? If you would like to make a donation… Make check payable to: Curwensville Cemetery Association Include a name or family “in memory of” or “in honor of” Mail check to: P.O. Box 232 Curwensville, PA 16833
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