A Cemetery Reclaimed

The final resting place for a number of African-Americans has been cleaned, mowed and fenced near my home in Newburgh, Indiana. The Old Colored Cemetery, as it has always been known, is located on Bell Road, north of the Newburgh Post Office. The effort is being conducted as an Eagle Scout project by a local young man. With help from friends and family, the cemetery now looks like a park.

For an unknown reason, the cemetery has been renamed as Bell Cemetery. The Warrick County Historian has told me a Bell family lived nearby, but members of this family are not buried here. Only two tombstones  remain - one for Georgia or George Willingham (died 1906) and another for someone named Stella.

Reclaiming cemeteries seems to be a fairly common practice for scouts working toward becoming an Eagle Scout. They are to be commended for this community service. The Hedges Cemetery at the end of my street was also a scout project and continues to be a popular place for neighborhood folks to stroll on summer evenings.