Along Route 20 in North East, across from a McDonald’s that most drivers pass without a second glance, sits Phillips Cemetery, a burial ground that’s spent years slowly disappearing under overgrown trees and brush. Some of its grave markers have broken. Others have sunk so far into the earth they’re nearly invisible. The people buried there haven’t gone anywhere. Their resting place has been quietly overgrown.
The Triangle Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) is working to change that, and every dollar raised through Erie Gives is restricted specifically to Phillips Cemetery’s restoration.
The work isn’t glamorous, but it’s necessary, and it has to happen in a specific order. First, large trees that have overtaken the site need to come down, along with smaller brush that’s accumulated over years of neglect. Once that clearing work is complete, the chapter can begin the more delicate task of resetting grave markers and stones, some broken, some sunk almost entirely below ground, back into proper condition and visibility.
It’s a project built on a simple idea: the people buried in Phillips Cemetery deserve a resting place that’s cared for, not one that disappears a little more each year under weeds and fallen limbs. The Triangle Chapter NSDAR has taken on that responsibility, and Erie Gives support is helping fund the very first steps, clearing the ground so the real restoration work can begin.