On April 22, 1957 the deed to the Old Burial Ground was deeded to the City of Chester. The city had requested a part of the property valued then at $31,000, for the widening of both 3rd and Welsh streets. The deeding action provided that the city maintain the property as a public park under such name as the church desires. The ground is to be returned to the church should it no longer be kept as a cemetery.
Burials were provided in the churchyard beginning in 1703 The primary significance of the site is that it is the first burial location in Chester for the earliest settlers. Those buried here are in graves that are no longer marked; however, there are notables interred here in graves having markers.
James Sandelands - Died in 1692 at the age of 56. His was considered one of the communities leading families in whose house people worshipped prior to the building of the first St. Paul's Episcopal Church on the grounds of the cemetery.
John Morton - died in 1777 at the age of 53. He was a Pennsylvania signer of the Declaration of Independence.
David & Grace Lloyd - Their bodies were removed from the Friends Burial Ground in 1959 and reinterred at St. Paul's. David Lloyd was the first Chief Justice of Penn's Colony and William Penn's personal lawyer . He died in 1731 at the age of 75.
William Anderson - Died in 1829 at the age of 67. He was Pennsylvania's representative to the U.S. Congress in the 11th, 12th, 13th and 15th congresses. He also served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
Paul Jackson, A.M. - He was the first who received a degree in the College of Philadelphia, now the University of Pennsylvania. He was noted as one of the most accomplished scholars of his day in the Colony. While quite a young man, he was appointed to the professorship of the Greek and Latin languages in the College of Philadelphia. He died in 1767 at the age of 36.
The condition of the graveyard has been found to be in poor condition. The vestry hired an arborist to take out the overgrown and invasive trees. We have also contracted with someone to cut the grass bi-weekly. This work had the approval of the city.
According to a project Of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1936, the survey of the St. Paul's Burying Ground recorded approximately 210 markers in place at that time. A number of them are no longer extant. Also, it must be noted that a major problem with the WPA surveys is a lack of consistency in the data collection process and an apparent poor quality control in the accuracy of the recorded data. The historical records in possession of St. Pail's Episcopal Church contain much information and many artifacts pertaining to the church's interesting and rich history.
Upgrading and maintenance of the graveyard has spurred an interest in establishing a data base for our records. Therefore, a Research Team was established.. To date over 800 burials at St. Paul's Graveyard from 1692 to 1903 have been added to the database. Almost 1000 burial from St. Paul's covering 1704-1903 have been added along with over 600 marriages and 640 baptisms covering 1704-1912.