When Moravians founded the Village of Ephraim in 1853, they also established a church cemetery. Located at the corner of Willow and Norway streets, just east and up the hill from the church building, it is a significant historic site. The cemetery, 0.8 acre in size, is the final resting place of early settlers, memorable residents, and several people who served in various wars. To locate a particular grave (relative, friend, etc.) visit the website Find-a-Grave which has mapped the Ephraim Moravian Cemetery.
A Brief History
Because the bedrock in Ephraim is so close to the surface, there were few options for a church burial site with adequate soil depth. Reverend Andrew Iverson, the first Moravian pastor, willingly donated a plot he owned that had adequate soil depth. The cemetery was consecrated on December 2, 1858. At the same time, he officiated at the first burial, that of a little child.
There are three gravestones for persons who died before 1858, when Reverend Iverson donated the land. Their bodies were moved to the Ephraim Moravian Cemetery around the time it was consecrated. One is Henry Larsen, son of Ole Larsen who lived for a time on Eagle Island, known today as Horseshoe Island. Henry died at age 23 in 1853, probably of tuberculosis. His sister Elizabeth passed away that same year. Melchior, son of Hans Peder Jacobs, one of the original five settlers in Ephraim, died in June, 1853 at the age of one year and six months.
For a number of years a section one the west side of the cemetery was reserved for Lutherans. Bethany Lutheran Church in Ephraim established its own cemetery in 1882 at the edge of what is now Peninsula State Park.
If you have questions about the Ephraim Moravian Cemetery, contact Cemetery Superintendent Kathleen Harris. Phone 920-854-2804 or email worship@ephraimmoravian.org.