by Amanda Dudley
On Saturday, September 24, the Parma Hilton Historical Society presented a tour of the Wright pioneer cemetery, one of eight small cemeteries located in the town of Parma. The cemetery is located on the corner of Dunbar Road and Hamlin-Parma Townline Road, in the area known as Wright’s Corners.
Wright’s Corners was settled by four brothers – Barber, Nathan, Gad Jr., and Jesse Wright. These four brothers, together with their families, four sisters, and their mother, Elizabeth White-Wright, arrived between 1810 and 1812. They cleared the land and erected log cabin homes on both sides of Hamlin-Parma Townline Road. Along with a scattering of houses, the area had its own schoolhouse, which was located on the northeast corner of Dunbar Road (presently 330 Dunbar Road). The first religious services in the north section of Parma were held in this schoolhouse. The First Freewill Baptist Church of Clarkson and Parma was organized there around 1824 by the Reverend Eli Hannibal. The membership grew until the schoolhouse was no longer large enough to accommodate their services, and the church split into two groups. The Parma and Clarkson groups alternated Sundays to use the schoolhouse, until each built their own churches: North Clarkson in 1833 on Walker Road, and Parma in 1839 in the village of what is now Hilton. The Wright schoolhouse continued to serve students from the Hamlin and Parma area until 1949, when centralization led to the abandonment of the district schoolhouses.
The Wright pioneer cemetery was established by, and is located on, property originally owned by the Wright family. According to the cemetery records, the earliest burial was Anne E. Vanderwater Wright in March of 1838, and the last burial was Nelson Crowell in 1930. Over the years, the cemetery fell into disrepair. It was restored in 1976 for the Bicentennial of Parma, making visible a portion of the original stone wall that surrounded the cemetery. More recently, a wrought iron fence was added to the front wall, where a fence once stood.
The cemetery tour highlighted the residents of the cemetery, and their significance to the area. Specifically highlighted were the Wright, Baxter, Downs, Crowell, and Harvey families. The Parma Hilton Historical Society partnered with the Parma Public Library to organize the event. In addition, Hilton High School students Corey Suhr, James Hantes, and Emma Watts, assisted in video recording of the event. Attendance and community support exceeded expectations, which was appreciated by organizers.
Details of future cemetery tours can be found at http://parmahiltonhistoricalsociety.com or on the Parma Hilton Historical Society and Museum Facebook page.
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