Maintaining Local History

By Sheryl Hart Photos taken August 2013 at Wesley Chapel Cemetery, Jackson Township, Huntington County, Indiana

This cemetery is about 175 years old. Thanks to our Jackson Township Trustee, Sheila Hines, it is not only being maintained, but one of four that is being restored. Headstones are dug up, repaired, cleaned and reset in the ground.

It is so sad to see the headstones of our War Veterans in disrepair. This is only one of many Civil War Veterans that are buried in our local cemeteries. There are also grave sites of several Veterans from the War of 1812 and World War I. If anyone is interested in helping to maintain these cemeteries through the Adopt A Cemetery program, contact Shelia Hines at 260-672-9207.

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A rock or a footstone? Under direct supervision from an experienced team of restorers, each stone is carefully dug out from the ground. Some were buried so deep that at first glance it looked like a small rock.

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Some stones were found buried in overgrowth of weeds and brush.

This headstone was toppled when a tree grew next to it.

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This headstone is an example of those that were buried. This is a better example than most, as you can read most of the lettering. With some professional cleaning, it will look almost brand new.

Several larger monuments have collapsed to the ground and as time passed, some of the pieces became buried.

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This repaired headstone was initially damaged by a bullet. The missing section was most likely shattered into many pieces.

Hopefully, the rest of this headstone will be found some day.

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This decorative headstone from Roanoke Cemetery is being pieced back together.

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The headstone for the wife of G. Comstock is being restored. Each letter is being individually cleaned with a scalpel-type tool and all cracks are being patched with a special solution that costs almost $300 a gallon!

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A hoist is used to upright some of the larger stones onto a new gravel base.

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Orange ribbon is placed on all the headstones that were repaired. This photo depicts only a portion of Wesley Chapel Cemetery that professional restorers were able to work on in one week. Over 40 stones were fixed at a cost of approximately $4,000. Volunteers dug up headstones, helped reset and restore them, trimmed tree branches and cleared away rock and debris. This allowed the professionals time to spend doing the more intricate work.

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There are four abandoned cemeteries in Jackson Township, Huntington County, Indiana that need regular care: ARICK CEMETERY, located at 700N (Yoder Road) and East County Line Road. This is a very small cemetery located by the Allen County line:

ROANOKE CEMETERY, located at Roanoke Road and 850 North:

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SHANK CEMETERY, located on Mayne Road just south of 900 North:

WESLEY CHAPEL CEMETERY, located on 1100 North at 400 East:

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If you, a group of your friends, business or organization would like to Adopt A Cemetery in the Jackson Township area, please contact Jackson Township Trustee Sheila Hines (260-672-9207). With the Adopt A Cemetery program, your group would commit to keeping the cemetery clean of debris, such as picking up litter or branches after a storm. (Mowing is done by an outside service.) Special work days will be called occasionally to work with a trained professional trimming tree branches and other maintenance-type tasks. (Anyone living outside our area, but interested in participating in a similar program, should first check with their local government officials before proceeding.) PLEASE NOTE: NO DIGGING IS ALLOWED WITHOUT THE PRESENCE AND DIRECT SUPERVISION FROM PROFESSIONALS!

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