Portrayals from the past will bring history to life at Unity Cemetery and Chapel

The history of Unity Cemetery and Chapel will come alive on Saturday as presenters portray four citizens of earlier eras, each with a connection to the site near Latrobe.

The free program is set for 4 p.m. in the chapel at 130 Chapel Lane, off Unity Cemetery Road in Unity Township.

The cemetery had its start in 1774, when four local settlers — including Robert Hanna, founder of Hanna’s Town in neighboring Hempfield — were granted 60 acres to establish a burial ground and meeting house for local Presbyterians.

On Saturday, Eloise Cary will portray Sarah Taylor, who died in 1786 and whose headstone is the oldest in Unity Cemetery. Cary will give an account of the challenges Taylor and her family would have faced making their way on Pennsylvania’s early western frontier.

John Jamison will appear as Rev. Noah Hallock Gillette, who served as the Unity congregation’s pastor for 19 years. He then established a mission church on Latrobe’s Main Street that grew into today’s Latrobe Presbyterian Church.

Nancy McKinnon, taking on the persona of Elizabeth “Lizzie” Leasure Beatty, will describe 19th century lifestyles and pastimes. Born in 1859, Beatty was the great-granddaughter of Benjamin Beatty, whose previous land is now home to Unity Chapel.

Spencer Simpson will give voice to Eli Chambers, among Civil War veterans who were laid to rest in the cemetery.

The four portrayals are based upon research by Mary Lou Townsend, president of the Latrobe Area Historical Society. In the case of Chambers, she said, “We have a whole notebook of letters he exchanged with his family.”

The red brick chapel, built in 1874, is the third in a series of churches that have stood next to the Unity burial ground. The nondenominational cemetery, now more than 200 acres, is the final resting place for close to 15,000 people.

Visit unitycemeterychapel.org for more about the site.