Buena Vista Cemetery is a one-acre piece of land on the east side of Square Barn Road just north of the Huntley Road intersection in Rutland Township. It was established in 1844 and known as the "Old Pauper's Cemetery" where settlers and others with no local religious affiliations were buried. There are 33 known burial sites.
It had been abandoned and overgrown with weeds until 2002, when Peter Matia, an Eagle Scout, took on the restoration of Buena Vista as his Eagle Scout project. He and his Troop 267 spent 5 months clearing brush, cutting grass, installing a fence and painstakingly cleaning each tombstone to reveal the grave markers.
Sadly, he passed away in 2006 from injuries suffered in an auto accident. A plaque honoring his effort stands in the cemetery.
The cemetery is now maintained by Rutland Township.
Click here to see the burial list and genealogic information for those buried in Buena Vista.