The Community Foundation of Carroll County has petitioned the City of Westminster to annex The Ellsworth Cemetery, founded by six Black Civil War veterans nearly 147 years ago and located just outside city limits.
The petition for annexation was filed Thursday, according to a Community Foundation news release.
The Community Foundation holds the deed to Ellsworth Cemetery on Leidy Road. It is governed by an advisory committee of volunteers who maintain the grounds and work to discover and preserve the cemetery’s history.
“This is an important step in the continued preservation of Ellsworth Cemetery,” Jaclyn Mathias, executive director of the Community Foundation said in the news release. “Equally important is the recognition by the City of Westminster of the cemetery’s place in both the city’s history and future.”
In December 1876 six Black Union Army veterans filed Maryland Articles of Incorporation to provide a burial place “for the Colored residents of Westminster, Maryland,” according to the cemetery’s website, since the Westminster Cemetery had covenants at the time that prohibited the burial of African Americans.
Many prominent Black Carroll County residents are buried at Ellsworth. Over the years, the cemetery fell into disrepair with various groups attempting to maintain and restore it. In 2013, a fund was established under the Community Foundation for Carroll County to support the repair and maintenance of Ellsworth.
The cemetery currently lies immediately outside the borders of the city, along three directions, and annexation will allow its inclusion in the Heart of the Civil War Heritage area and provide access to grants, according to the news release.
“It has served as a final resting place for Black residents of Carroll County for more than 150 years,” the release states. “The cemetery is home to at least 17 Civil War veterans, and eight veterans from the World Wars. Nicholas Paraway, the first African American to vote in the county, as well as John M. Snowden, the first African American to serve on a jury, are among the historical figures interred there.”
The annexation will require a public hearing and review by Westminster’s mayor and Common Council, followed by a vote. Westminster Council member Kevin Dayhoff said in an interview Friday that he supports the annexation request.
“We’re excited about the opportunity,” he said. “Once it’s annexed in the municipality, it will be eligible for grants [to] make improvements and make it a showcase. I think it’s all good.”
Dayhoff, who as a young man mowed grass at the cemetery, said the city welcomes the opportunity to discuss the annexation.
Carroll County Commissioner Tom Gordon III, who testified before the Westminster Common Council in February requesting that the city annex the cemetery, welcomes the news from the Community Foundation.
It’s the same request Gordon, who represents District 3, including Westminster, has been making for several years.
“I am happy to see the Community Foundation of Carroll County, with the support of local attorney, Kelly Shaffer Miller, petitioning the City of Westminster regarding annexation,” Gordon said in an email. “These efforts mark an important milestone in the county to see the recognition of the residents buried at Ellsworth Cemetery.
Miller’s law firm provided her legal services free of charge and CLSI, a surveying firm in Westminster, provided the annexation plat, also without charge.
Community groups have helped to mark and restore many of the approximately 300 graves at the 1-acre site, fencing in the property, and adding a new sign over the entrance. In early 2020, the Community Foundation was awarded a $65,000 state grant for restoration efforts. Last June, nine headstones marking the graves of seven Civil War soldiers and two World War I soldiers were unveiled at the cemetery.
Thomas Greul has led fellow volunteers from the Knights of Columbus at St. Bartholomew Roman Catholic Church in Manchester in maintaining the cemetery for more than 12 years.
He first visited Ellsworth to place flags on veterans’ graves for Memorial Day but was unable to locate headstones because the weeds and grass were so high. He’s excited about what the annexation could mean for Ellsworth Cemetery.
“As a part of the city, Ellsworth Cemetery will be maintained,” Gruel said in the news release. “And this crucial part of our history will not be forgotten again.”
