AKA:
Number of Burials (approximate): 350
Dates of Activity: 1830 - present
Documentation/Publication:
CCGS, The Cemeteries of Colebrook, East Keating, Grugan, Leidy, Noyes, and West Keating Townships (2008)
Directions/GPS:
From the intersection of Jay and Water Streets in Lock Haven (the Lock Haven Courthouse), travel west on Water Street for 1 mile. Turn right onto PA Route 120 (Susquehanna Avenue) and travel 29.3 miles. Turn right onto Route 144 (Drury Run Road). Travel 11.5 miles, crossing Kettle Creek. On the other side of the bridge, turn left and travel towards Alvin Bush Dam, going 3.5 miles. Turn left at the cemetery sign, crossing over Kettle Creek again on a bridge. This road leads into the woods. Travel 0.1 mile and turn right onto Dorcie Drive (TR 308B). Travel 0.7 mile and double back on Maple Grove Drive (TR 310). Travel about 0.3 mile on this gravel road through the woods to the cemetery, which is well maintained.
GPS = N41 23.962 W77 54.866
Landowner / Caretaker:
New Maple Grove Cemetery Association
HCR 62 Box 100
Renovo, PA 17764
Condition/Needs:
Excellent
History:
Over the centuries of settlement in the region, flooding provided a constant problem to settlers, particularly those located near where tributaries fed into larger rivers. During the mid-20th century, a popular solution to this problem was to construct dams to regulate the water at various points along tributaries, to prevent major flooding downstream. One area selected for such a project was the Kettle Creek Valley, where the Alvin Bush Dam was constructed in 1960.
The area had long been settled, and homesteads, farms, the Maple Grove Methodist Church and eleven cemeteries, containing about 450 graves, were located in the impoundment area. The church and cemeteries had to be relocated under the direction of the Army Corps of Engineers. Provisions were made for remains to be relocated to two cemeteries. One of these was New Maple Grove Cemetery, a new cemetery to be surveyed and laid out just upstream from the Dam, to receive these remains.
New Maple Grove Cemetery was opened in 1960 and remains in use today. It is very well maintained. The former Maple Grove Methodist Church, which was relocated to the new cemetery site, is now used for special occasions only.