Fairview Cemetery

Prior to the creation of Fairview Cemetery, Catasauqua citizens buried their dead in the churchyards which adjoined each church. These included St. Paul's Lutheran on Howertown Road, the old Presbyterian Church on Church Street, the Bridge Street Presbyterian Church, the German Evangelical Congregation, and Schoenersville Union Church. St. Lawrence Roman Catholic Church also had its own burying ground next to the church and this is the one church cemetery in the area that can still be seen today.

An increasing population warranted a larger burying area, but no individual church congregation could afford the expenses of a large cemetery. James W. Fuller took the matter in hand and purchased some six acres of ground from Peter Miller and Robert McIntyre on the west side of the Lehigh River. The property was on a hillside and overlooked the Borough of Catasauqua, a fitting site for the burial of the town fathers.

The cemetery was established in 1858. Charles W. Chapman, Borough engineer, assisted Mr. Fuller in laying out the roads and sections. Each plot within a section measured 10 x 20 feet. The church congregations began the steps necessary to transfer the bodies from the churchyards to Fairview Cemetery. A monument marking the transfers from the Bridge Street Presbyterian Church stands in one section of the cemetery.

In 1866, Samuel Thomas was instrumental in effecting the erection of a monument dedicated to the local men who had served in the Civil War. This monument, the first post Civil War monument erected in Pennsylvania, stands on a rise known as Lincoln's Hillin Fairview Cemetery. It lists the names of those sworn to the service of their country. One hundred and fifty-nine names are inscribed as well as the battles in which they fought. Twenty-nine of these men were killed or died in the war. In 1884, four cannons were placed at the corners of the monument.

Mr. Fuller had arranged for eventual administration of the cemetery through an association. In 1871, more than one-half of the plots had been subscribed and a charter was secured from Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas for the Fairview Cemetery Association of Catasauqua. The new Association elected the following officers: President, Joshua Hunt; Secretary, John Williams; Superintendent, Charles W. Chapman. A constitution, by-laws, rules, and regulations were adopted. Increased demand for plots necessitated the purchase of three and one-half acres of an adjoining field to add two additional sections to the cemetery. Some years later, another tract was purchased from Frederick Eberhard and in 1905 the total land area of the cemetery was about fifteen acres.  In 1895, the Association erected a chapel west of the Soldiers' Monument at a cost of $1500. 

     The frame building was octagonal in shape, thirty feet in diameter, with a slate roof and topped with an ornamental peak.  It was closed in by four doors, each 4 x 8 feet, and four large windows bordered by cathedral glass.  Inside, the building had a concrete floor, a paneled ceiling, and a center column, and a permanent reading desk.  It also had a receiving vault and two large cisterns for the storage of water.  Although there was no seating, the seating capacity was for a maximum of two hundred persons.

     The primary expense of a cemetery is maintenance and by 1905 the price of a plot was $15.00 with a $1.00 annual maintenance charge.   Additional revenues were realized from two bequests, one of $500 from James W. Fuller, and one of $100 from Samuel Glace.

     Today, Fairview cemetery remains largely unchanged.  An Association still oversees the operation.  The fifteen-member board holds an annual lot-holder's meeting on the second Tuesday in May.  Current officers are:  President, Earl Blocker; Vice President, Harry Wolbach; Secretary -Treasurer, Joan Scheetz; Superintendent, Sterling Miller.  Discussion at the meeting concern finances - budget, expenditures, maintenance and the payroll for six seasonal workers.  In 1979, the price of a plot was raised to $200 and sold only with a charge for perpetual care.  The chapel was closed due to vandalism.  In 1983, the board adopted new by-laws, but essentially, Fairview Cemetery exists as it was created by James W. Fuller, an appropriate resting place for Catasauqua's tired citizens.