Mary S. Brown Memorial-Ames United Methodist Church and Turner Cemetery are located at 3424 Beechwood Boulevard, right on the border between the Squirrel Hill and Greenfield neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, PA 15217. Click on the “About” link for contact information.
Now that spring is finally here, Mercyhurst University has resumed its study of Turner Cemetery. Under the direction of Dr. Mary Ann Owoc and Project Archeologist and instructor Allen Quinn, an archeology student is doing her senior project at the graveyard, plotting it out and using a fluxgate gradiometer to try to locate the actual graves. Stay tuned for future developments.
Click on this link for the Turner-Mercyhurst Press Release.
Click on this link to see the article about the Mercyhurst study that appeared in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on May 6, 2013.
Here is some general information about the Turner Cemetery/Mary S. Brown-Ames Historical Site.
Turner Cemetery and Mary S. Brown Memorial-Ames United Methodist Church are located at 3424 Beechwood Boulevard on the border between the Squirrel Hill and Greenfield neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. The Turner Cemetery/Mary S. Brown-Ames Historical Committee (TC/MSBA) is researching the site because of its historical and genealogical importance. The cemetery dates to 1785 and provides information about many of the earliest settlers of Squirrel Hill. The adjacent church was built in 1908, but several churches preceded it on the same plot of land.
The churches on the site have been known by various names, which are listed on the page about the church. Click on the MSBA Church tab to go to that page. The present church, now known as Mary S. Brown Memorial-Ames United Methodist Church, was originally named Mary S. Brown Memorial Chapel.
The purpose of this website is to disseminate information about the cemetery and church, collect additional information, enable correspondence among interested people, and work toward preserving the site for the future.
So what makes this site so important? The short answer is that the cemetery and church, taken together, form a strand of Pittsburgh’s history extending from the area’s earliest days to the present and relating to every part of it. The cemetery and church have ties to Native American prehistory, the settlement of the area by colonists from Europe, the first wars fought by the new United States, the Civil War, industrialization, urbanization and, since the church is still a living ministry, events spanning the 20th century. We’re now into our third century at the same location!
Today the cemetery and church site now faces the dilemma of being a priceless treasure in need of restoration and conservation.
An excellent well planned, easy to navigate, informative site..really enjoyed it…didn’t realise Simon
Girty was connected..I’d read about him..a graphic novel by a Pa.native called Wilderness. Thankyou!
Thanks for the feedback, Jeff. I’d like to tell readers that Jeff has a connection to Turner Cemetery. The last known person to be buried there was Edward Schenley Ebdy in 1880. The family later went back to England. Edward’s father was Charles Ebdy, a Civil War veteran who is buried in the GAR section of Homewood Cemetery.
I just added a link to well-known Greenfield historian Anita Kulina Smith’s e-book “In the Footsteps of Renegades” that has information about Simon Girty and the Girty/Turner family. It’s an interesting read with lots of illustrations.
Hi, We are a homeschooling family and I am wondering if you would recommend this for kids interested in Pgh History?
Thanks
Thank you for your enquiry. The answer depends on several things.
First, do you mean coming to the Turner Cemetery History Walk on October 27 or touring the cemetery at another time? Either is an option for families interested in learning about the early history of Squirrel Hill and Greenfield. You can either come to the History Walk or schedule a free private tour, which would take about an hour.
Second, if you are planning to come to the History Walk, will our schedule of activities be appropriate for the age level of the homeschoolers? The History Walk begins with an hour-long presentation about the cemetery, including a talk by local author and historian Anita Kulina. Afterwards, people can walk around the cemetery, where there will be posters at various places with information about the people buried there.
Third, we ask that children be accompanied by parents. The tombstones are very old and fragile and easily damaged, so they should not be touched.
Although we are not planning activities specifically geared for children because most of the attendees are adults, we welcome families who are interested in learning about the cemetery and the community that grew up around it. It is great when children are interested in history!
The Bright Red Fence link is not working. I was curious as to what it was about.
Hi, Dave,
The Bright Red Fence website, http://www.brightredfence.org, is the official website of Mary S. Brown Memorial-Ames United Methodist Church, which maintains Turner Cemetery. That website has information about the mission of the church, the time of worship services, directions and other information about the vibrant spiritual life of the church. I’m not sure why the link didn’t work when you tried, but it is working now.
Is the event rain or shine?
Hi, Michelle,
The History Walk takes place rain or shine, or even snow, like last year. The presentation by a graveyard researcher and a Greenfield historian will take place inside the church meeting hall from 11-12. There will also be historical items and information on display in the meeting hall. In addition, since the history walk is self-guided, it has accompanying materials that explain the history of the cemetery.
We will be selling hot soup to warm us up!
Helen Wilson