St. John’s Lutheran Church Cemetery is located adjacent to the church. This cemetery is still in use, and is the final resting place of the founders of the congregation to present day. Some families will find many generations resting here together. The cemetery also contains a cremains garden. The cemetery is open to the public for those who would like to walk around or visit a grave.  To find a loved one, please use the link to Find a Grave. For information about the cemetery, please contact the church office at (864) 638-6363 or stjohnsluther@gmail.com.

Eligibility to Purchase Space:

To purchase cemetery space an individual must be a “Voting” member of St. John’s Church as described in the Constitution, or have a provable relationship with St. John’s Church, to include:

• Having been a former member of St. John’s Church.
• Having been baptized or confirmed at St. John’s Church.
• Having an immediate family member interred at St. John’s Church (this includes spouses, parents, siblings, children and grandparents).

NOTE: Voting members are confirmed members who during the current or preceding calendar year, shall have communed in the congregation and has made a contribution of record to this congregation. Confirmed members are baptized persons who have been confirmed by this congregation, those who have been received by adult baptism or by transfer as confirmed members from other Lutheran congregations, or baptized persons received by affirmation of faith.

Interment Options:

Columbarium Niches

There are two sizes available for the columbarium. A small size suitable for holding the remains of one person (5 ¾ high x 11” wide and 15” deep) and a large size suitable for holding the remains of two persons (12” high x 11” wide and 15” deep). Each niche includes an engraved plaque placed on the exterior of the columbarium granite plate. The plaques will be of the same design and include details as determined by The Cemetery Board. Prices of Columbarium Niches include a promise by St. John’s Church to provide ongoing maintenance of the grounds in the columbarium garden and ensure the columbarium units are in working order.

Click here for a Columbarium Niche Purchase Application Packet.

Scatter Garden (Cremains Garden)

Cremated remains may be “scattered” anywhere in the confines of the garden. A plaque is included in the pricing, consistent with the ones already installed. Only those eligible to purchase cemetery space, as described above, may be placed in the Scatter Garden. St. John’s Church promises to keep the Scatter Garden in a reasonable state of maintenance.

Burial Spaces

Traditional burial spaces have been laid out throughout the cemetery. These spaces are generally 5’ x 9’ but may be smaller in the older sections. A space can be used for a single burial, or for a stacked burial, provided the first burial was set at an adequate depth. Grave spaces may also be used for the burial of two or more cremated remains.

A Certificate of Right to Interment will be issued by St. John’s Church for each space purchased. The Right of Interment does not convey ownership of the ground in the cemetery but only allows the purchaser to use the space for interment purposes, and are subject to the conditions, reservations, and restrictions determined by St. John’s Church, which can change from time to time.

Stone memorials may be placed but must not exceed the size of the grave space. No shrubbery or plants, other than grass, may be planted on the grave space. Gravel and coping may be used. The placement of any yard furniture must be approved by St. John’s, prior to placement, and must be kept in good condition. St. John’s Church reserves the right to remove items not approved or in poor condition, from grave spaces.

Caskets must be placed in a vault. There is no requirement for cremated remains to be placed in a vault.

History of St. John’s Historical Cemetery:

The cemetery at St. John’s predates the official formation of the church, which occurred on Sunday, November 20, 1853.

In 1849, John Wagener and Jacob Kalb, of the German Colonization Society of Charleston, laid out the town of Walhalla and designated the four corners of Main and Church streets for “public buildings”. The southwest corner was reserved for the future church.

On January 3, 1851, the Germans living in Walhalla decided to build a chapel “for worship and for holding school”. This structure stood near the parking area and entrance to the church office and next to the gate to the oldest section of the cemetery. The building was used for services until the current church building was completed in 1861.

The untimely deaths of some of our early German founders necessitated the laying out of the cemetery. The earliest known burials, all from 1851, include: John Kleinbeck, Hanke Housman and Claus Bulwinkel, along with his toddler son, who were both killed in a horse and wagon accident.

St. John’s Cemetery is the resting place of many of Walhalla’s town founders and early settlers. The remains of veterans from many of our national conflicts can be found, including those from both sides of The Civil War.

One prominent person not interred at St. John’s is Gen. John Wagener, leading founder of the German Colonization Society of Charleston. He was originally buried at St. John’s but the citizenry of Charleston, where he had served as mayor, demanded that his remains be removed to Charleston. His funeral in Charleston drew thousands of mourners and he is now buried at Bethany Cemetery. A stone at St. John’s marks where he was originally buried.

Primary source: St. John’s Lutheran Church Walhalla, South Carolina 1853-2009, Rev. George B. Shealy.