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In the middle of a residential block in Roxborough, a short walk from Ridge Avenue, sits a weather-worn burial ground with graves spanning more than a century of neighborhood history.

At least 1,000 people are buried within the gated cemetery on Martin Street, including Civil War soldiers and German-speaking parishioners, many of whom became mill workers in the area after fleeing economic hardship during the second half of the 19th century.

The site was also once home to the original Bethany Lutheran Church, which later moved across the street.

And yet unlike the church, the cemetery is not listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.

Independent researcher Joseph “Big Joe” Menkevich wants to change that.

To the 74-year-old former welder, it’s disrespectful to the dead. And potentially disruptive, particularly as the neighborhood continues to draw considerable interest from private real estate developers. The historic designation would require a developer to get permission to build on the site.

“All these dead people, I’m their mouthpiece. I’m saying, ‘Your lives meant something. You were important. I’m gonna make sure people remember you,’” Menkevich said.

Last February, Menkevich nominated the cemetery for historic designation after consulting with local historian and friend John Manton.

A committee of the Philadelphia Historical Commission unanimously approved the nomination during a meeting this week. But Menkevich and Manton will have to wait until next month to see if the cemetery gets added to the city’s register.

The full historic commission, which has designated about two dozen burial grounds over the years, is scheduled to take a final vote on the nomination on March 14.

Manton, 77, is optimistic.

“I don’t see how they can turn down a burial ground … that’s more important than the church because these are the people who built the church, and they worked the mills in Manayunk, and they carved out their lives here,” Manton said.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, listed in the nomination as the cemetery’s owner, did not respond to a request for comment.

The nomination is the latest from Menkevich and Manton, who has published a series of guidebooks on Philadelphia history, including ones focused on Roxborough and Manayunk.

“I’m praised by some people and I’m called a rogue historian by others,” Manton said.

The men became friends after a chance encounter at the City Archives more than a decade ago.

Manton was conducting research for one of his guidebooks. Menkevich helped him access some deeds he needed to complete his work.

Over the years, the pair has worked on a handful of nominations together. And while they have different approaches to doing historical research, their passions are aligned.

“He loves churches. I love graveyards. So churches and graveyards kind of go together,” Menkevich said.

For Manton, the nomination is also personal.

As a teenager, he would attend German-language services at Bethany Lutheran Church to sharpen his skills.

The church closed in 2022 after more than 150 years. But like Menkevich, Manton wants to honor its history by keeping the memory of its congregants alive.

And he doesn’t want the neighborhood to lose a piece of its history.

“If you look at a cemetery, it’s like a book. And each internment is a chapter in that book,” Manton said. “It’s like a little biography of who’s buried there and what they did.”