Cemetery Discoveries - Page 6 of 12 - The Cemetery Detective™

The Cove Cemetery – Confederate Cemetery – Chickamauga Georgia

Porter Cemetery was maintained by The Cove Methodist Church. It is now known as The Cove Cemetery.

The Civil War at Porter Cemetery

On September 17 & 18, 1863, a minor skirmish took place between Federal and Confederate soldiers near what was then known as Porter Cemetery. The brief battle involved a 4:00 AM raid by Union Horsemen. Subsequent artillery fire, lobed by the Confederates, scattered Federal troops.

No war is ever humorous. However, the accounts of this skirmish seem almost farcical even to the solder telling the story. He recounts the onset of an attack that took place so quickly, the horsemen overshot their intended targets. While the horsemen were captured in an instant, other soldiers sought cover in a field of high corn stalks. Although this skirmish was mild compared to the larger war, it was not without casualties. One Captain and several soldiers died in the battle.

With opposing factions each maintaining adjacent hilltop strongholds after the two day fight, all troops were called northward to take up arms in the Battle of Chickamauga which was fought September 18 – 20, 1863.

Porter Cemetery Becomes Cove Cemetery

Porter Cemetery was maintained by The Cove Methodist Church. It is now known as Cove Cemetery. The Cove Cemetery contains the remains of many Civil War era soldiers who died on the battlefield.

Civilians are buried here, too. Most notable in the cemetery is the grave site of the Widow Glenn. This young woman’s husband, a Confederate Soldier, was killed in the line of battle. She lived on the battlefield near Porter Cemetery and her house was commandeered, for a time, by Federal Troops.

The Widow Glenn's Gravesite — The Widow Glenn

Wood Station Cemetery – Catoosa County Georgia

I had a very pleasant time wandering the rows of neatly tended gravestones in Wood Station Cemetery.

On a slight rise, just to the east of Old Alabama Highway 151 outside of Rock Spring Georgia lies a perfectly manicured cemetery. It’s headstones are easy to read and gravestone decorations are congruent with the season.

Rural Country Cemetery

It’s October and I’m driving down Hwy. 151 on my way though the rural countryside. There are a couple things I love to see in a well-manicured cemetery. First is that the cut grass is not thrown upon the gravestones making their inscriptions unreadable. Second is that the grave decorations are fresh and congruent with the season. I dislike seeing year old plastic flowers clumped against the headstone under a mound or grass from a lawn mower’s output shoot. Wood Station Cemetery had none of this.

Set in the middle of Georgia pasture land, I could hear the cows mooing from a nearby farm. The autumn sun was setting in a golden hue and a full Hunter’s moon was rising from the east. Conditions could not have been more perfect.

Gravestones were modern yet not gaudy. Their inscriptions where deep and easy to read. The grass was cut short yet the person who mowed the grass took care to prevent scalping the ground or throwing grass upon the grave markers. I hope the cemetery caretakers read this blog posting. The people responsible for Wood Station Cemetery upkeep are doing a wonderful job. I see too many cemeteries where the grass is thrown upon the tombstones making them unreadable. This is not the case at Wood Station. Well done.

A Pleasant Walk Through A Country Cemetery

Maybe it was just the crisp autumn weather or maybe I was in a particularly good mood. Whatever the reason, I had a very pleasant time wandering the rows of neatly tended gravestones in Wood Station Cemetery.

Osage Orange (Hedge Apples) as a Cemetery Fence Row

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 Fruit Signifies The Coming Of Autumn

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.

Cemeteries Use Osage Orange Trees

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 and the Nickajack Bat Cave

State Line Cemetery was established in the early 1800’s.

A visit to State Line Cemetery

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.

1) Nickajack Bat Cave

2) TN AL GA Border Junction

Hunt Family Cemetery – Chickamauga, Georgia

The Hunt Family Cemetery on the Grounds of the Chickamauga Battlefield

Hunt Cemetery – Chickamauga, Ga.

Approximate Directions: Drive to the parking area at approximately:
lat. 34.896901 lon. -85.244002.
Walk down the gravel road about .4 miles ’til you come to a clearing. There is a yellow blazed trail to your left. If the trail is overgrown (as it was when I last visited) follow the road then bear left as you follow the edge of the pasture land. In about 800 feet, you will see another hay field to your left. Follow the left edge of that pasture and you will come to the Hunt Cemetery in about 500 feet.
The Hunt Cemetery is located at approximately:
lat. 34.892761 lon. -85.241823
If you’re not good with finding your way through overgrown trails or trekking down dirt paths, stop your car at the Chickamauga Battlefield’s Visitor’s Center and ask for a map to the cemetery.

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

Deep in the forests of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (commonly referred to as the Chickamauga Battlefield) lies a cemetery of the Hunt family.

The Hunts owned and farmed the land in the years before the famous Battle at Chickamauga. Buried here are several family members in marked graves within a cast iron fence. Outside the fence, numerous field-stone marked and unmarked grave sites can be found within the wooded cemetery. Presumably, these are grave sites of family members and workers of the farm.

2016 Cemetery Conference – Day 4

We have just finished a day-long tour of Cincinnati Cemeteries at the 2016 Association for Gravestone Studies.

It’s such an educational experience spending time with such knowledgeable and well educated cemetery researchers. I have lots of note and will be sharing information with you in the future.

Here’s a quick time-lapse video from one of today’s cemeteries.

Tile GPS Locator

TILE helps me keep track of my keys when I misplace them in a cemetery.

While I am adept at finding lost cemeteries, I’m not always so skilled at finding my keys in a cemetery.

On more than one occasion, I’ve left my keys behind on a gravestone before wandering off to explore other areas of the cemetery.

TILE is a handy tool that helps me keep track of my keys (and my cell phone).

<br />

Fernhill Memorial Cemetery – Stuart Florida

Fernhill Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Stuart, Florida offers tropical bauble filled trees, glinting sunbeams, and finely manicured lawns.

Sunny Stuart Florida

is blazing hot in the middle of summertime but the cooler months are completely bearable with warm breezes and glistening beams of sunshine. Palm and other tropical trees grow in the fertile soil and St. Augustine Grass makes for a soft cushion underfoot.

It was one particular warm day and one particular sunbeam that cause my attention last July when I strolled the grounds of Fernhill Memorial Gardens. I love when relatives make their family plots places of celebration. This particular plot is adorned with hanging baubles catching sunlight making a visit to this cemetery less sad.

Lebanon In The Fork First Presbyterian Cemetery

Lebanon In The Fork Presbyterian Cemetery overlooks the muddy headwaters of the Tennessee River.

Lebanon Church Cemetery Near the Fork of the Holston and French Broad

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.

Cemetery Hunting Trip Goes Wrong

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.