About Springfield Cemetery
Springfield Cemetery in Sykesville, Carroll County, Maryland is a Non-Profit organization with a Board of Trustees who are all volunteers and associated with either the Springfield Presbyterian Church, or through the cemetery as lot holders.
Springfield Cemetery was originally part of the 3,000 acre estate, "Springfield", owned by George Patterson from 1824 until the time of his death in 1869. (George Patterson was the brother of Betsy Patterson who married Jerome Bonaparte.) George Patterson was the youngest son of William Patterson who arrived in America in 1766 and went on to accrue a fortune through shipbuilding and land holdings. William Patterson was also one of the men to envision and help develop the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, the Main Line reaching Sykesville in 1831.
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Downtown Sykesville, circa 1910
George Patterson was president of the original Board of Trustees and gave the land for the building of Springfield Presbyterian Church and Academy in 1836. Springfield Cemetery was under the direction of the Board of Trustees of the church until 1928 when the Springfield Cemetery Company was formed, independent of the church, and incorporated.
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Today, the Cemetery is managed by a nine member Board of Trustees, five members selected from Springfield Presbyterian Church members, and four selected lot holders from the community at large. The cemetery site covers about eight acres and is well situated on the crest of a hill overlooking Carroll and Howard Counties. Through the sheer beauty of the place and its significance in the history of Maryland, Springfield Cemetery will continue to serve and be an important part of the greater community of Sykesville.
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Springfield Cemetery Company, Inc. is a community not for profit organization, which is registered with the Internal Revenue Service under the 501.c.13 provision of the Federal Tax Code.
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Veterans Memorial Plaza
The Springfield Cemetery’s Board of Trustees believed that it would be appropriate and desired, to recognize the veterans of military service interred in our cemetery. In 2012 the concept of a Veterans’ Memorial was developed.
The early vision was a landscaped plaza with a flag court. Several scouts and their parents, of local Troop 716, expressed an interest in participating in this development, as Eagle Scout projects. The memorial was developed during the ensuing six years with each of three Eagle Scout candidates sequentially pursuing their phase over two years. Springfield Cemetery provided contacts, coordination and guidance to the candidates. It was completed in late Fall 2018.
On May 25, 2019 a grand Ceremony of Dedication was held, which was attended by a large number. The program featured appropriate Memorial Day music and remarks by clergy and community leaders. A complete flag set was presented by the Scout Troop and officially flown for the first time as the names of all veterans in the cemetery were recited individually by branch of service. As the branch flags were raised, the respective hymns were played. The climax was the laying of a wreath to celebrate their lives and service and finally taps was heard from a young musician of the community.
Cemetery President Mr. C. Todd Brown pointed to the long history of the cemetery and the role it has played in the community through the years. “This dedication is but one day, this memorial and what it commemorates, endures forever. This is a singular time of celebration for our community.”
The continued keeping of the Veteran's Memorial garden is in the hands of a lot holder family that has generously furnished and maintained the garden in beautiful display.
The Veteran's Memorial plaza and flag court currently displays the flag set on all appropriate national holidays. For the funeral service of a new veteran, the national, state and branch of military flags are on display as part of the military honors for the decedent.
