Learn more about the history of Wrightsville and how community members are working to actively restore the past when Historic Wrightsville Inc. hosts Old Towne Night. The event will be held on Friday, March 28, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 243 Hellam St., Wrightsville, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

"This year, we are focusing our efforts on helping to preserve Wrightsville 's history by joining with several other nonprofit organizations to restore the burial grounds and conserve the aging tombstones of the Mount Pisgah Cemetery,  located on Mulberry Street in Wrightsville," explained Lisa Burk of Historic Wrightsville Inc. "Mount Pisgah Cemetery is the final resting place of our African American friends and neighbors from years past, with residing families large enough to support two African American Methodist Episcopal churches."

Old Towne Night will feature a presentation by Duane Raber and Rebecca Anstine, both members of the South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society.

"We plan on starting with a brief history of the cemetery, the churches involved and who lived in the neighborhood surrounding the cemetery," Anstine said. "My part is to tell the stories of families, focusing on some Civil War veterans. We'll talk about some of the caretakers also."

Anstine's background in genealogy can be traced back to her teenage years, when she began researching her own family. Since then, she's taken classes and workshops on researching.

"When people go to a cemetery, they generally look at a tombstone that might have the birth date-dash-death date. I research that dash - where did they live, what did they do, what is their story?" she stated. "And in researching that story, it brings history to life and helps to understand the who, what, why and where of events and knowledge of the past is so important today."

Raber will discuss the decision of Riverside Masonic Lodge 503 to clean and restore the headstones of the 11 Civil War veterans buried in the cemetery. He will also talk about the efforts made by caretakers, including the Mount Pisgah Cemetery Association, family members and community organizations, to restore the site.

"I didn't start working with my family genealogy until 2019," Raber said. "It is important that we preserve the history of those buried in the Mount Pisgah Cemetery and remember their history and many contributions to the Wrightsville community. We have made progress cleaning and are looking forward to restoration and preservation training this year in order to proceed with quality repairs."

Tina Charles will also provide information at Old Towne Night, focusing specifically on one gravesite: the site of Mrs. Anna Grayson, the only female veteran in the cemetery.

"Like Becky, I've always been fascinated by cemeteries and the stories they hold. I believe in  'defining the dash,'" she said, noting that she got into genealogy in her 20s. "I'm a co-founder and past board member of the Friends of Lebanon Cemetery, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the history of those interred in York County's African American cemeteries. My connection to Mount Pisgah, however, predates that, as I first learned about it while conducting genealogy research for a friend descended from the Barton family, whose brothers served in the Civil War."

While working with Anstine and Charles on restoration and preservation, Raber mentioned that he had always been curious about Anna Grayson.

"He thought he had seen something indicating she might have been part of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion," Charles said. "I immediately dove into the research and was able to confirm that she was indeed a member of that historic unit. I'm honored to have been asked to share her story as part of the upcoming presentation."

Anstine noted that it's especially timely to discuss Grayson as the 2024 movie "The Six Triple Eight," starring Kerry Washington, is streaming now.

She hopes people will come out for Old Towne Night to learn more about the past.

"(I hope) that this would be an opportunity to learn about Wrightsville's past that hasn't really been explored," she commented. "Over the years, I've found that most people do not know the stories of their families nor the area that they live in. An individual mentioned one time that he wondered why there were no people like him in Wrightsville. He knows now that Wrightsville not only has a black cemetery but was once a thriving community for African Americans."

For more information, contact Historic Wrightsville Inc. at 717-252-1169.