An abandoned cemetery tucked behind Holiday Inn on Bustard Road at Franklin Street, which belonged to the long-defunct Kulpsville Methodist Episcopal Church, could be getting some much-needed TLC from Towamencin Township.
According to The Reporter, supervisors voted unanimously last week to get an appraisal of the property, but first must attempt to find the owner before moving forward with a possible takeover of the cemetery, which is a stone’s throw from the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
A volunteer group has been undertaking the upkeep of the property. Last year, the township was in talks with St. Matthews UMC-Reading Pastor Rick Wrisley, who is a member of the Eastern PA Conference of the United Methodist Church, on what is needed to maintain the property. Whether the EPA UMC owns the cemetery remains to be seen.
According to the article, the process to acquire the cemetery would be similar to the one the township did in acquiring Tennis-Lukens Cemetery on Allentown Road. Tennis-Lukens will be part of the plot of the future Veterans Memorial Park, which is in the early stages of its master plan.
Township Solicitor Jack Dooley told supervisors, per the article, that eminent domain would be used to take the cemetery, if no owner is found. The appraisal for the abandoned cemetery is expected to be a very low figure, per the report.
Indian Valley Appraisal Company estimated the appraisal to cost as much as $2,000, according to the article.
Gravestones at the cemetery include the surnames Kulp, Kindig (which may or may not be related to the Williams-Kindig House in Hatfield Township on Welsh Road), Graf, Roop, Kratz, Kunz, Stover, Hallman, Godshalk, and Funk.
According to the book “Montgomery County, Pennsylvania: A History, Vol. 1,” the Kulpsville Methodist Episcopal Church had its inception in 1862. Two preachers from the Perkiomen circuit, Rev. William M. Ridgway and Rev. Gordon, were asked to form a preaching service at Kulpsville.
According to “Bean’s 1884 History of Montgomery County,” services began at Kulpsville Hall, then William R. Bechtel, a Kulpsville resident who worshiped at the Methodist Episcopal church in Bethel, donated a lot for the church and cemetery.
The building that stands in front of the cemetery today is a far cry from the one-story brick structure that was dedicated in Autumn 1862 by Bishop Levi Scott, according to the book. Ministers who served the Kulpsville Methodist Episcopal Church included Rev. William T. Magee, Dr. R. Owen, Rev. H. F. Isett, Rev. E. Townsend, Rev. G. L. Schaffer, Rev. H. U. Sebring, Rev. L. D. McClintock, Rev. H. Frankland and Rev. T. T. Mutchler.
Read more about the cemetery acquisition at this link.
See also:
Mainland Pointe Mixed-Use Development Gets Final OK from Lower Salford Township
Lansdale Public Works Committee Prepping for Additional Merck Sewage Flow Beginning Next Year
Montgomery Township Board of Supervisors Adopts Resolution to Recognize June as Pride Month
Towamencin Township Announces Upcoming Construction Schedule for Sumneytown Pike
