Cemeteries Worth the Visit – Green Hill Cemetery, Bedford, Indiana

 

Green Hill Cemetery is a tombstone tourist’s delight!  Founded in 1889, Green Hill is located in Bedford, (Lawrence County) Indiana.  Consisting of over 20 acres of rolling hills near the center of town, Green Hill maintains a quiet, reflective atmosphere with sculptures and carvings that beckon you to walk the grounds.

Largest stone ever shipped from here

Oolith Limestone

The town of Bedford is known as the “Limestone Capital of the World.”  This is the only area of the country where Oolith limestone has been found in such great abundance.  Oolith was sought out because of its beauty and endurance.  Once the oolith rock was dug, exposure to the elements hardened and strengthened it, making it more durable and weather resistant. Perfect for building cities throughout the new country.

Ready to ride the rails

Lawrence County, Indiana

The ‘Father of the Limestone Industry,’ Dr. Winthrop Foote, arrived in Lawrence County in 1818 from Connecticut.  Foote realized the potential use for the limestone and purchased acres and acres of stone land. He predicted that limestone would be sent to the East Coast for use in building cities well before there was a railroad in place to haul the stones and carvings to their destinations. 

Working the Quarry

Indiana Stone Carver (IHS)

Foote opened the first quarry in the state, Blue Hole, in 1830. He brought in a master stonecutter, Mr. Toburn, from Louisville, Kentucky in 1832.  Soon stone workers and master carvers from all over the world were arriving in Bedford to work in the Indiana quarries.

Empire State Building

National Cathedral

The stone carvers came from Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany and Italy, each bringing his understanding of stone and his carving skills.  These men helped to build America through the quarrying and carving of oolith limestone. From the 1870’s until after WWII, Indiana limestone was used to build over 30 notable architectural landmarks in the U.S., including, the Empire State Building, the Pentagon, and the National Cathedral.

The work of numerous stone carvers can be seen at Green Hill Cemetery.  Hundreds of carvings, statues, sculptures and engravings exist in minute detail, thanks to the limestone’s ability to weather well.

Stone Cutters Monument

Hand with Mallet

Many of the stone carvers from the past are buried here, near the Stone Cutters Monument, erected by the Bedford Stone Cutters Association in 1894.  The monument shows a late 19^th century stonecutter, holding a mallet in his hand.  Clasped hands are shown on the front of the monument, beneath it’s gabled roof.   The other three sides bear the carved images of a hand with a mallet, a sexton and square and a grouping of stonecutting tools.  This monument, along with those listed below, is included in the Smithsonian American Art Museum Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture.

Other monuments included in the Smithsonian American Art Museum Inventories are,

The Baker Monument –

Baker monument

Top of Workbench with Tools

This gravestone is an exact replica of how the wooden workbench, belonging to stone carver Louis Baker looked as he left it for the last time on August 29, 1917.  Baker was killed when he was struck by lightening that night at the age of 23.  In homage to him, stone carver Marion Taylor and fellow stonecutters recreated the workbench in limestone, detailing Baker’s discarded carving tools, apron, bent nails, and stone slabs.  Baker was working on a building cornice at the time.

Corbin Family Marker

The Corbin Monument –

This limestone grave marker shows Christ kneeling in prayer.  The sculpture was carved by three stonecutter brothers, Virgil, Elmer and Jesse Corbin for their family plot in the 1940’s.

The Wallner Monument –

List of Battles

Wallner Monument

This WWI soldier is the life-like carving of Michael F. Wallner (1893 – 1940.)  Wallner was a private in Company A-16^th Infantry’s First Division.  The battles he fought in are listed on the base of the stone, along with the dates.  Wallner was wounded by shellfire in a campaign on July 20^th, 1918.  He was sent home and hospitalized for his wounds.  He never recovered and died in the hospital 22 years later.

The Barton Sculpture –

Barton detail

Barton Statue

Local resident Tom Barton stands ready to begin yet another game of golf.  The detailing of his 1930’s clothing, including bow tie and cuffed pants, make the statue appear ready to tee off. Legend has it that Barton died while playing golf in 1937.

A Couples Stone

Other amazing examples of limestone statues, carvings, and monuments are spread throughout the cemetery.  As an avid ‘tree stone as grave marker’ person, I was amazed at the sheer number of those stones found here.  The Bedford Walking Tour brochure lists 26 tree stones in Green Hill, but there are even more!

 

Tree stones were popular from the 1880’s through the 1930’s. They could be ordered from catalogues and were also offered as a benefit to belonging to the Modern Woodmen of America and Woodmen of the World, both fraternal benefit organizations.

You can find mass-produced trees in cemeteries throughout the country.  But the true jewels are the hand-carved tree stones, depicting an individual's hobbies and interests carved into the tree stone.  The tree stones in Green Hill are rich with these details.

Footes Tomb Sign

Foote Family Stone

Footes Tomb

And a final word on Winthrop Foote - While his family stone is located in Green Hill, he and a brother are buried just east of town near what was once the Blue Hole Quarry. (Blue Hole is where stone for the Indiana State House, Chicago’s City Hall, and the Vanderbilt Mansion in New York came from.)  Mr. Toburn, the area’s first stonecutter, cut and designed the Foote vault in 1840.  Foote’s brother Ziba was buried here soon after.  Foote died in 1856 and was interred here, along with, according to locals, his horse of whom he was very fond.  Legend also has it that Foote also had his money buried with him in the tomb.  You can see where attempts have been made to cut into the limestone, but Foote continues to rest in peace.

Green Hill Cemetery is located at 1202 18^th Street in Bedford, Indiana.  The cemetery manager is Peggy Tirey, and the phone number is (812) 275 – 5110.  The cemetery does not have a web page.  Two walking tour brochures are available at the cemetery office located at the main gate.

Green Hill Cemetery

Green Hill Cemetery is definitely worth the visit!  Plan an afternoon and take a step back in time as you explore this gorgeous cemetery. The amazing skill and intricate details found on the tombstones indicate the deep pride and respect the stonecutters and carvers had for their craft. And the durable limestone they used allows us enjoy their pain-staking work, over one hundred years later.

~ Joy

The Legend & History of the Corpse Road

A Corpse Road

They are known by many names:  coffin roads, church-ways, funeral paths, corpse roads – all leading from a remote English village to the lych gates of the Mother church, many miles away.

A Coffin Way

Corpse roads came about during medieval times when villages were locating farther and farther afield.  Canon law of the period stated that a parishioner must be buried on the grounds of the Mother church, no matter how far away from their village or how dangerous the travel.

Coffin Stone

Funeral Procession

Eight men would take turns carrying the body along the corpse road. Four men, one at each corner, would carry the deceased until they came to a coffin stone.  These stones were laid out along the road at set intervals and designated as a place to lay the bier. Then the other four men would step in and continue carrying the deceased while the first four followed with the funeral procession, and rested.

Burial Road

Corpse roads were usually straight as they were the most direct route from the village to the burial grounds.  Some were only a couple of miles long; others were close to ten miles long.  Fields with a church-way passing through were left unplowed. It was believed that any field used as a coffin road would fail to produce good crops.  And, they were also associated with spirits, wraiths and ghosts. 

Running Water on a
Corpse Road

Stream Running on a Coffin Road

Although fences, walls, and buildings were not allowed to obstruct the corpse roads, usually at least one stream, river or marsh could be found crossing a coffin road.  Legend said that by carrying the deceased over running water, they could not return home.  The dead were also carried with their feet pointing away from their home, so that they could not return and haunt the living.

Corpse Candle

Corpse Light

Many times corpse lights or corpse candles would be seen traveling these paths, flitting low to the ground.  It was believed that the sprits of the dead traveled close to the earth in a straight line that connected the village and the cemetery.  Some said that the lights would travel to the dying person’s house the night before the death, then return to the cemetery and disappear into the ground where the burial would take place.

Spirit of the Dead

Will-o' the Wisp

Other phenomena related to corpse roads include will-o’ the wisps, also known as foolish fire, or Jack o’ lanterns.  Travelers saw these ghostly lights at night.  Folklore stated that these flickering lights were the spirits of the dead, trying to lead travelers astray.  Some legends identified them as the spirits of unbaptized or stillborn children caught between heaven and hell.

Crossroad

Witch Ball

Crossroads, where two roads intersected each other, were also considered dangerous on a corpse road because they were viewed as a location where the world and the underworld met.  It was believed that the Devil could appear at a crossroad. Crosses were placed at intersections – hence cross roads, to protect those passing from the Devil and wayward spirits. Later, witch balls were also hung along the road.  A witch ball was a bottle or enclosed circle of glass that contained threads and charms inside.  These were used to catch and tangle passing spirits, trapping their evil or negative energy inside.

Cross on a Church-Way

To counter the superstitions, crosses were also set along the burial roads every mile or so.  These were used as places for followers and mourners to stop and pray for the dead.

Lych Gate

Lych Gate

Once the funeral procession arrived at the burial ground, they would proceed to the lych gates.  (Lych is the Old English word for corpse.) Located at the entrance to the church property, the lych gates were constructed like a porch with a roof over them.  Clergy would meet the mourners at these gates and assume responsibility for the body, preparing it for the burial service.

Snow on a Corpse Road

Today, corpse roads are still visible throughout England, the Netherlands, and Ireland.  Although it has been centuries since they have been used for their original purpose, the rockiness and remoteness of these burial roads might still make it preferable to stay clear of the paths at night.

As Shakespeare said in A Midsummer’s Night Dream:

 Now it is the time of night,


That the graves all gaping wide,


Every one lets forth his sprite


In the church-way paths to glide.

~ Joy