Cemeteries, Graveyards, Burying Grounds, & Churchyards
Celestial alignment behind a 100 year old gravestone.
I blithely strolled through this cemetery when I first discovered this celestial alignment.
With sun setting low on horizon this chilly autumn evening,
I was in the right place at the right time just as it kissed the horizon.
A lone sunbeam glinted perfectly through the little boy’s outstretched hand.
Osage Orange trees used as a fence row in Forest Hills Cemetery Chattanooga, Tennessee
In addition to great sunrises and cooler weather this time of year, I always enjoy finding Osage Orange fruit during early morning autumn walks in my local cemeteries.
Osage Orange (Maclura Pomifera) were used for generations by Native Americans – particularly the people of the Osage Nation. Workers crafted bows and other weaponry from its sturdy yet flexible wood.
Osage Orange trees tend to grow in dense proximity to one another. Because of this, they are often used as a natural wind break. In the 1930’s 100’s of millions of Osage Orange trees were planted in the plain states to help guard against wind driven soil erosion during the dust bowl years. This resulted in large-scale distribution of the tree.
Because of its widespread use, public entities, such as cemeteries, used the tree as a means of inexpensive, natural perimeter fencing.
The fruit exudes a sticky white latexy substance that was used in olden times as a natural insect repellant. The fruit’s outside has a wrinkly, craggy appearance.
I am always interested in looking for Fibonacci sequences when I’m observing trees and their fruits out in nature but no discernible Fibonacci sequence is readily apparent on the Osage Orange fruit.
Although not as widely used, now, as it was in the early to mid 1900’s, Osage Orange trees are still very commonly found.
As you can see here, I found quite a few specimens strewn freely on the ground of Forest Hills Cemetery in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
References:
http://lancaster.unl.edu/enviro/pest/nebline/hedgeapple.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera
“Magic Forest” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Forest Hills Cemetery Chattanooga, Tennessee.
State Line Cemetery was established in the early 1800’s.
On a recent trip to the Nickajack Bat Cave on the shoreline of the Tennessee River, I discovered a cemetery very near the junction of the Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia borders.
State Line Cemetery was established in the early 1800’s. This coincides with the era many Euro-Americans were moving into this part of Tennessee. The land was still heavily populated and influenced by Native American culture. However, the political, economic, and cultural landscapes were changing. Additionally, the environmental landscape was changing with farmers beginning to graze livestock in the area.
Many of the early gravestones are simple fieldstones laid to mark each gravesite. These early gravestones have no discernable markings thus giving no indication of the name nor date-of-death of the interred. Other grave markers are more modern dating to recent years.
Stateline Cemetery encompasses ground very near the junction point of the Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia borders. If you wish to visit this junction, park your car at the cemetery and find a trail heading due west. The junction point lies about 100 yards from the westernmost edge of State Line Cemetery.
For added excitement to your cemetery hunting, visit the Nickajack Bat Cave at sunset. The cave can be accessed via the Maple View Public Use Area. Shortly after sunset, thousands of bats exit the cave. They flood the tree tops in search of their nightly meals consisting of various insects.
There is a short hiking trail leading to an observation platform. If you have a kayak, you viewing will be greatly enhanced as you can kayak right up to the mouth of the cave and watch the bats exit directly overhead.
Lebanon In The Fork Presbyterian Cemetery overlooks the muddy headwaters of the Tennessee River.
Near the confluence of the Holston River and French Broad River a church burned down in 1981. Its bell and columns were saved but, other than those items, the most enduring visual reminder of the Lebanon Presbyterian church are the tombstones of the old church cemetery.
There is a quarry nearby. Tread carefully along the well-worn footpath toward the rear of the cemetery.
Searching for Cemeteries. The adventure is in the journey….even when I don’t find the cemetery.
My cemetery hunting trips don’t always go as planned.
Last week, as I was hunting for a cemetery atop a mountain, in a storm, miles away from civilization, and without cell service, my van broke down. Luckily, I was able to turn around on the narrow mountain road. I coasted down the mountain and limped back home at 25 MPH. I found a YouTubing mechanic who has a video detailing the exact symptoms of my van’s problem.
This video does not feature a specific cemetery. Sometimes, the adventure is in the travel even if we don’t reach our intended destination.
Rock Creek Cemetery in Polk County, Tennessee is also known as Cloud Cemetery. On USGS maps, this cemetery is listed as Price Cemetery.
Rock Creek Cemetery is also known as Cloud Cemetery. On USGS maps, this cemetery is listed as Price Cemetery.
Overlooking the junction where the Ocoee River outflows into Lake Ocoee, an abandoned cemetery sits high on a hilltop. The lack of road access to this cemetery necessitates a scramble through wooded wilderness to reach the dozen marked gravesites. Some plots can only be differentiated from the surrounding forest by their caved-in appearance. Other plots are marked with simply field stones while others, still, are marked with hand carved gravestones. One gravesite, that of Revolutionary War soldier John White, stands out among the rest with a well maintained military headstone.
Rock Creek Cemetery risks fading from memory as it fades from view; obscured by the ever encroaching Cherokee National Forest.
Here is the Google Earth file of the significant stops I made as I searched for Rock Creek Cemetery.
Click below to play video of this newest cemetery exploration adventure.
Cemetery research tool to research cemeteries.
I love cemeteries, I love technology, and I love technology that helps me research cemeteries.
Here is a video I made of a brand new cemetery research tool.
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel and this blog to keep up with my latest cemetery exploration adventures.
Lusk Cemetery in the heart of Marion County, Tennessee. Prentice Cooper State Park
Along dusty Game Reserve Road in the heart of Marion County, Tennessee is a small cemetery deep within the Prentice Cooper State Forest. There was no cemetery listed on my map when I happened upon Lusk Cemetery. With windshield wipers clearing a narrow field of vision, my van was turning earth colored from all the dust being thrown up on this narrow hunting road. Occasionally gunshots rang out and as I exited my vehicle, 4 hunters on two 4-wheelers appeared from the woods. They stopped briefly to watch me extend the legs on my tripod, then, being more interested in hunting deer than watching some weirdo taking pictures in a cemetery, they revved up their all-terrain vehicles and vanished into the densely wooded state park.
I love Marion County and Prentice Cooper State Park. When I’m sick of the city, Prentice Cooper is one of my favorite get-aways. I can hike for miles in the woods and never see a soul. But these guys on their 4-wheelers; I admire them. I admire their local knowledge of the land upon which they live. I admire the fact that if civilization ever shuts down, these guys will be the survivors. I looked upon them with caution as they came roaring up on their 4-wheelers. Would they consider me a threat? Would they not take kindly that I was taking photographs of their relative’s grave sites? Nah, I’m just like them…exploring the land, paying respect to those who have passed along before me, and minding my own business not hurting anyone.
Lusk Cemetery represents God’s Country in Marion County, Tennessee.
Walling Cemetery – Pikeville, Tennessee near Fall Creek Falls State Park
On a drive to one of Tennessee’s most beautiful State Parks (Fall Creek Falls), I made a detour to Walling Cemetery. This time of year on the upper elevations of the Cumberland Plateau, the winds carry a chill but the skies are brilliant blue.
Walling Cemetery is one of those cemeteries I imagine is a gathering place for residents in nearby communities. With sheltered eating areas, outhouses, and a small church, I envision countless generations have spent Sunday afternoons congregating on the outer edges of the cemetery grounds. Men speak of football and business dealings while their wives compare hats and Sunday dresses slightly annoyed at their children running and playing amongst the wide open cemetery.
Beck Knob Cemetery – local construction crews discover a long forgotten cemetery forcing bulldozer operators to halt their work.
Beck Knob Cemetery
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Local construction crews halt work after discovering grave plots within their work area.
It’s funny how a simple newscast can change the course of your day. After exiting the post office and returning to my car, I flipped on the local talk radio station to hear the local news. 10 seconds later and I would have missed this news blurb completely. However, Kevin West dropped a hint that a local construction crew discovered a long forgotten cemetery forcing bulldozer operators to halt their work.
I have visited Beck Cemetery many times but I wasn’t familiar with Beck Knob Cemetery. Using a GPS Cemetery Data-Set downloaded into my Garmin, I discovered the cemetery was a quick 5 minute drive from my location. I popped over to survey the cemetery and chat with the construction crew. Instead of workers, I found a news team busily filing their report. They seemed amused when they realized I study cemeteries. Within seconds they asked for (and received) my permission to be interviewed for their evening newscast.
Without proper planning, I felt unprepared to give an interview but the professional reporter lead me through the process fairly pain-free.
Beck Knob Cemetery is a family burying ground dating from the late 1800’s to the early 1940’s. The land was donated by a local land owner when he saw a need for burial plots for former slaves and their families. The ground has been maintained over the decades since the 1940’s but recently fell into neglect. Anyone who lives in the Chattanooga area knows Kudzu, which was brought into the area in the 1800’s to curb erosion of our steep hillsides, quickly overtakes plats of land. Kudzu has completely overgrown Beck Knob in recent years obscuring the cemetery from the construction crew’s visual inspections. By all accounts, the construction crews seem to be acting reasonably in their protection of the cemetery.
Though the cemetery is well known by residents of the area, I feel sure recent news coverage of the cemetery will prompt surrounding land owners to re-familiarize themselves with the cemetery’s boundaries.