Melrose Cemetery on Highway 321 has been the final resting place for many Swansea residents. For years, numerous townsmen worked to ensure the grounds were upkept and funds were collected from surviving family members to prevent the cemetery from falling into disrepair. Many of these town residents who volunteered their time are no longer with us or are unable to continue their service.

Swansea First Baptist Church decided they would like to help ensure the cemetery is maintained by taking over the administrative burden. These volunteers had previously sent letters out to gather donations from families for scheduled lawn care and maintenance, and they worked with funeral homes to find gravesites previously purchased for burials. This will be the continued goal of our Church Committee.

Unfortunately, Melrose was not set up with an endowed fund to ensure future maintenance was paid for. Its upkeep (primarily grass mowing) is paid for with the generous gifts of surviving families. Other maintenance work on the property has generally been taken care of by our Church on volunteer workdays.

We ask that if you would please continue the financial support by making a donation to the Melrose Cemetery Fund; which has been established specifically for the upkeep of the cemetery. If you donate, please ensure that all checks are written payable to Melrose Cemetery. You may also donate via the giving form on this page. Please be sure to include the name(s) of the plot(s) in the memo section so that we may ensure the accuracy of our records.

It costs approximately $5,000-$7,000 annually to maintain the cemetery. A modest financial gift by many people will help ensure we continue to show proper respect to those who are buried at Melrose.