Explore history and pay homage to American heroes from the 19th century. Zion Union Cemetery is the largest known burial site of the Massachusetts 54th African-American Civil War veterans in a private cemetery. The cemetery can be viewed off Bennett Avenue that is off West Fairview Avenue from Route 75, or through the cemetery’s lane off West Fairview Avenue.
Address:
Zion Union Lane
Mercersburg, PA, 17236
(Courtesy of Pennsylvania Civil War Trails)
Three brothers from Mercersburg served in the Civil War. Sgt. William Lyons and his brother Sgt. Edward Lyons, served with the 25thUSCT, Co. I. Their younger brother, Corp Robert Lyons served with the 54th Mass and was killed 18 Jul 1863 at Morris Island, South Carolina, at the battle of Fort Wagner. Corp Robert Lyons recently received a military headstone that was placed in Lost Creek Presbyterian Cemetery, in McAlisterville, Juniata County, Pennsylvania, where his brothers, Sgt. William Lyons and Sgt. Edward Lyons, are buried. A formal dedication will take place in the Spring of 2025.