Ellsworth Cemetery Established in 1876
Ellsworth Cemetery was created on December 21, 1876, when seven prominent members of the African American community filed Maryland Articles of Incorporation to provide a burial place “for the Colored residents of Westminster, Maryland”. Reuben Walker, David Ireland, William Massey, William Adams, Lewis Dorsey, Nelson Edwards and Samuel Bowens were the incorporators. At least five of the men participated in the bloody Civil War Campaigns of 1863, 1864, and 1865. They recognized Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, a friend of Abraham Lincoln who was the first Union Officer to die in the Civil War. The ground on which the Ellsworth Cemetery stands was sold to the group by the Estate of Elias Yingling for the sum of one dollar on June 11th, 1894.
Ellsworth Cemetery was located on the outskirts of Westminster. Local lore has stated that at the time of its founding, African Americans were not permitted to be buried within the city limits of the town. We have not found any explicit laws or regulations stating this restriction, and at least one African American was buried in the St. John’s Catholic Cemetery during the 1800s and four African Americans were buried in Westminster Cemetery. Whether by law or by practice, the land that the incorporators were able to use was nearly three miles from their home church and outside the city. Cemeteries were regularly segregated across the county, with over 90% of cemeteries being racial restrictive as late as 1953. In 1969, a federal court struck down these restrictions as being in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (Terry v. Elmwood Cemetery).
Note that as of June 2023, Ellsworth Cemetery is a part of the City of Westminster.
Six of the seven men who established the cemetery are buried there. The seventh, Private David Ireland, is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
1876-1950
We have records of approximately 170 burials from 1876 to 1950 when the cemetery was active and closely associated with the Union Street Methodist Church.
1950-1983
Interments slowed significantly during this time. Most of the approximately 30 burials from this period were of close family members of people already interred. For example, Elmer and Harvene Charms Myers are buried next to her brother and sister-in-law, Jesse and Edna Mae Bruce Charms.
1983-2000
We have no records of any interments during these years. The cemetery had fallen into disrepair and was generally considered to be “full.” As early as 1940 and again in 1963, reports of cleanup and restorations efforts appeared in the local press. In the 1990s, the Union Memorial Church maintained the cemetery, with assistance from local Scouting organizations and the State Police.
In the late 1990s, members of Branch 7014 of the NAACP were recruited and organized by Mr. George Murphy to care for Ellsworth. Mr. Murphy worked at Liberty High School and was a cemetery restorationist. He was passionate about the Veterans buried in this small, nearly forgotten cemetery.
The Ellsworth Cemetery Company was re-established as a non-profit to administer and maintain the cemetery. That instantiation of the company has since been disbanded.
2000-Present
In 2001, the cemetery became active once again. Relatives of those who had passed away decades before were buried at Ellsworth. Mr. George Murphy continued to maintain the cemetery and advocate for Ellsworth.
In 2013, a fund was established under the Community Foundation for Carroll County to support the repair and maintenance of Ellsworth. At this same time, members of the local Knights of Columbus council began work to maintain the cemetery. After many years, Mr. Murphy was unable to continue the physical labor of mowing and clearing the cemetery.
In early 2020, the Community Foundation was awarded a $65,000 grant from the State of Maryland for the restoration of the Ellsworth Cemetery. Those funds are administered through the Maryland Historical Trust.
Ellsworth Cemetery is active again, with recent burials serving the local community. Plots that are not already owned are administered through the Foundation, and funds from plot sales will be used for the maintenance of Ellsworth.
In 2023, the Community Foundation of Carroll County petitioned the City of Westminster for annexation. On June 12th, the Common Council voted unanimously in favor of annexation. Ellsworth Cemetery joined the City of Westminster.