Founded in 1795, Midland Cemetery is the final resting place for slaves, former slaves, men of the United States Colored Troops, Buffalo Soldiers and numerous leaders of the area’s African American community. Notable burials from Pennsylvania's Grand Review 100 Voices include: Lemuel Butler, Co. H, 55th Massachusetts; Charles Henderson, Co. K, 127th USCT; Andrew Hill, Co. B, 6th USCT.
The Midland Cemetery, which dates back to the Civil War period, is located in Swatara Township, just outside Steelton, PA. The larger part of Midland had been buried under weeds and brush for 35 years before Barbara and her 11 year old son ventured into the cemetery in 1993. Barbara recollected: "When I was a little girl, my parents would come here after church on Sunday. Because I had allergies, they'd roll up the windows and leave me in this hot car while they disappeared into the brush--I'd sit and wait. Well, I was 35 when I came back here to see where they had gone on these Sunday afternoons to visit with Grandpa--and here I am...I thought was just that little corner of a cemetery...I started researching and pulling up the old deeds from 1932. And it just expanded. Thank God it expanded without my knowledge, because I don't know if I would have been able to stand out here right now and talk to you. Because I didn't know it was this big. And I didn't know what kind of work I was getting into, and what kind of history I was going to open up." Many of the neighbors did not even know that the cemetery was there. At this time, Barbara decided to clean up this "corner cemetery" a little every day and figured that it would be in good shape by Spring.
