THE OLD CEMETERY

Never did we expect to find the old cemetery nestled into such a remote area.

Joe and I hiked for two miles. We were deep into the woods. There was an old ghost town somewhere nearby, and it was our intention to find it. We had our metal detectors, and we were excited at the prospect of locating the old homestead.

It was suppose to be a site that dated to the late 1700’s. The area was one of the most remote I had ever been in.

We walked through thick scrub brush, and climbed over dead trees, and limbs. We hiked up and down hills, and crossed a large creek as mosquitoes feasted on our flesh. All the while the heat and humidity was draining the energy from my body. I finally said to Joe, “I’ve just about had enough, and I don‘t think that ghost town is here.”  Just as I spoke those words, we came upon the old burial site. Half a dozen grave stones as though they had grown up through the ground stood in front of us. I knew at that moment that an old cellar hole had to be close by.

I bent down to have a closer look at the graves in the old cemetery. Two names filled me with melancholy. Mary and Ben, ages 2 and 5, died 1810, and 1812. There were no last names. There were no graves with last names. I wondered who Mary and Ben were. Did they have brothers and sisters buried with them? Who were their parents, and why were there no last names etched into the grave stones? And, how did Mary and Ben die?

I have always marveled at the braveness, and the work ethic of those first pioneers who settled these remote areas in the northeast. They literally carved out a home with no more than their bare hands, and a few oxen, or horses. If help was needed, or there was an emergency, their nearest neighbor was miles away. And then to lose two children, possibly to one of the diseases of that time, must have been insufferable. I sat there for a moment paying my respect to those brave individuals, and wondered what kind of children Mary and Ben were like.

However, the mystery of the old cemetery, as to why it was there, was never solved. Joe and I searched the entire area for the homestead we were sure was close by. But there was no sign of any home ever being there. I kept asking myself. Why was the small, old cemetery there? The nearest old town was miles away, and it had a local cemetery with graves that dated the same years as the one Joe and I discovered. So why were Mary and Ben, and the others buried in the middle of nowhere I wondered. It is just one of the many mysteries we uncover whenever we travel into one of these remote areas.

For More Information About Cemeteries Visit The Websites Below.

If you are interested in visiting the old cemeteries of famous people, or you want to search cemetery records, then visit Find A Grave.

And here is another website that tells you where some of the most interesting cemeteries are located.

Are you interested in metal detecting or treasure hunting stories?

An old cemetery in the middle of nowhere could be a hint that close by is an old ghost town, or the remains of an old homestead.

Thanks for visiting!