Jurisdiction:  Benton Harbor City Section 18

 

Established:   1836

 

Status:  BCGS Cemetery Records updated  May 2010.

 

Location:  North Side of Territorial Road, East of Paw Paw Avenue

 

Cemetery Governing Body:  Benton Harbor City

 

Morton Hill Cemetery is known as one of the most historical cemeteries in Berrien County.  Walking through the cemetery is literally a look back in the history of Benton Harbor.  With so much value to the community and future generations, Helen Anderson of the Berrien County Genealogical Society researched the history of Morton Hill Cemetery and headstones were transcribed in 1982 by Carolyn Kasischke, Marjorie Pearson, Georgia Atwood, Harold Atwood, Edith Zuppann, Marilyn Pape, Ethel Crow, Ruth Tinkham, Maurice Tinkham, Jessie Rushing, Lida Weir, Laura Wirth, Jeannette Decker and Ferne Betz.

 

Near the gate of the Morton Cemetery on Territorial Road in Benton Harbor stands a granite boulder.  On its face is a copper plate, which bears the inscription:

“In this cemetery are buried many of the first settlers, the pioneers of this community, which includes the three founders and promoters of the city, Henry Morton, Sterne Brunson and Charles Hull.”

 

Stanley Morton, son of Henry, had the boulder placed at the entrance in 1922 because he wanted future generations to know where Benton Harbor’s founders and builders were buried.

 

There is a second boulder with the inscription:

“Morton—This lot contains the remains of members of the Morton family representing four generations.  Descendents of George Morton who arrived at Plymouth, Mass. On the ship ‘Ann’ in 1623.”

 

Morton Hill Cemetery was established in 1836 by the Morton’s when Eleazer Morton came to the area.  It is believed a baby was the first burial. The first recorded burial found is Issac Warner in 1845.  The early builders of Benton Harbor can be found at the southern end of the cemetery.  In the mid 1800’s, they dug the ship canal, erected the first buildings and started the first businesses.  In the Morton lot are buried Eleazer, his son Henry and grandson, Stanley, who was one of the founders of the Graham and Morton steamship line.  Nearby are the remains of John Graham another of the founders of the steamship line.  His drive made the boat line one of the largest on the Great Lakes.

 

Other stones mark the graves of Almon Riford, early postmaster.  His son was the city’s first attorney; Dr. Hewlett Rockwell, dentist, as a member of the legislature which put through the bill that procured Benton Harbor’s charter; James Stevens Jr., was a partner with Stanley Morton in the lumber business; Frank Gilson, a owner of the Benton Harbor Palladium, with his pen did much to promote the city; Ben Johnson, blacksmith; Jacob VanHorn, the first post office was located in the VanHorn shoe store; Salmon Heath, early banker, of Heath’s Corners now called Fairplain.  James Sorter of Sorter’s Corners, grandfather of attorney Dora Whitney; John Allmendinger, one of the first general contractors; Prof. John Webb, author of the word system of teaching reading.

 

There are markers for those lost on the lake including one dedicated to Alvin Sterne Burridge, early shoe merchant, lost when the Hippocampus sank on Lake Michigan in 1868.  There is a tall marble stone marked Southworth-Otis who died at Gettysburg at age 29.

 

Many of the early pioneers buried in Morton Hill Cemetery also have streets names after them:  Albert Nowlen, lumberman; Joseph Thresher, postmaster and editor; Myron Hinkley, Charles Colby of the Colby-Hinkley fruit packaging factory; Stansbury Ogden, John McAllister, Alonzo Plummer and Theodore Jakway.

 

An actress originally from Benton Harbor is also buried in Morton Hill Cemetery. Katie Putman Emery made an appearance at the Yore Opera House the night of the infamous fire.

 

By the mid 1900’s few people were buried at Morton Hill Cemetery.  The cemetery fell into disrepair; older stones crumbled and fell over.  Weeds took over and tree limbs fell.  In the last few years there has been renewed interest.  In January of 1986, the cemetery was listed in the State Register of Historic Places.  Through the interest of the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph Federation of Women’s Clubs funding is being sought to repair stones and put up a fence.  Maybe one day this historic cemetery can once again pay proper tribute to those who made Benton Harbor.

 

 Written By David Barricklow