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The Zion Church in Urbana was founded in 1802 with burials beginning in its cemetery shortly afterward, according to Knight Kiplinger, co-chair of the Zion Church Preservation Committee.

There are several notable people buried in the cemetery, including:

-Charles Johnson, the son of Roger Johnson and a nephew of Gov. Thomas Johnson, the first elected governor of Maryland. Charles Johnson was the founder of Urbana. Before Charles Johnson named the community, it went by the names of nearby homes, such as "Fat Oxen" or "Hampton," according to Kiplinger.

-Maj. Frederick Smith of the 17th Virginia Cavalry, who was killed in a cavalry skirmish following the Battle of Monocacy in July 1864. According to Kiplinger, the minister of the church at the time was a Union sympathizer, and had Smith buried in a corner of the cemetery, away from other graves.

-John Montgomery, a Revolutionary War veteran who served on the ship Defense under Capt. George Cook, who was his uncle. Montgomery also served in the Virginia Militia under Capt. Thomas Edwards serving at Gloucester Point during the battle of Yorktown.

Noting the heavy concentration of prominent members of early southern Frederick County families, Kiplinger said preserving the cemetery for future generations is important. "That's what the cemetery is all about," he said.