AKA: Paddys Run Cemetery
Number of Burials (approximate): 3000
Dates of Activity: 1880 - present
Documentation/Publication:
CCGS, The Cemeteries of Chapman Township (2001); revised edition, to include full cemetery records, is currently in preparation
Directions/GPS:
From Lock Haven, travel West on PA Route 120 for 25.6 miles. You will pass through the villages of Hyner and North Bend. Beyond North Bend, in the village of Farwell, is the Fairview Cemetery. It is located on a hill, past the Pentz Store and Grocery. There is a road leading to the right just past the store, Fairview Lane, which leads up into the cemetery. The residence of the caretaker is located directly above the cemetery. See the map in the beginning of this book for a more detailed representation of the cemetery location.
N41 19.917 W77 43.600
Landowner / Caretaker:
Fairview Cemetery
c/o Richard and Karen Mazzulla
402 Fairview Lane
Renovo, PA 17764
Condition/Needs:
Excellent
History:
The development brought to the West Branch Valley by the Pennsylvania Railroad and other industries created a great influx of persons into the valley. As these people died, burial places were established to meet community needs. One of these was established in the village of Farwell. “The Fairview Cemetery of Renovo, Pa.” was incorporated 27 May 1882. The incorporators were W. K. Chesnutt, R. M. Glenn, D. F. Spangler, E. T. Swain, G. W. Fester, James H. Ferguson, C. T. Moore, James A. Williamson, E. B. Westfall, and W. L. Holman.
The articles of incorporation, on file in the Clinton County Courthouse, state that the cemetery board was to be composed of seven directors. Five or more directors present constituted a board at any meeting. The price of lots was fixed at “not less than one dollar for every 10 square feet.” The Officers of the Cemetery were not permitted to be members of the board.
A record of board meetings and lot owners was to be maintained. This record is in the hands of the current caretaker, Richard Mazulla, who lives in a home just above the cemetery, and who has graciously shared information with CCGS relative to cemetery burials he is aware of.
At the time the cemetery was incorporated, there was no record of any land having been available for the use of a burial ground. There were burials immediately following the incorporation, however, so land must have been available, perhaps provided by the incorporators. At any rate, an additional gift of 16 acres and 60 perches was provided by James and Mary J. O’Hagan of Renovo on 13 February 1894.
The earliest known interments in the cemetery are those of Ralph A. Trump and Lillie Madge Donaldson, both in 1883. There are several interments prior to 1882, the earliest being Joseph and Amanda Swain, both of whom died in the mid-1870s. Such bodies were probably relocated to Fairview at some point after its incorporation.