Trivia

Hours Monday through Friday 8:00am-4:00pm (closed noon to 1pm) Saturday by appointment

Civil War: 1861 - 1865 : Of those who served our country, 190 never returned to their homeland of Indiana. Mt. Hope Cemetery is honored to have several veterans from the Civil War buried on its grounds. The G.A.R. Section (Grand Army of the Republic) was established in their honor. The devastating effects of the Civil War left not only scars on the land, but in the hearts of those who remained to forever morn the loss of their loved ones.

This area has been the topic of stories and conversation for many years. What is the true story behind what has come to be known as the Mt. Hope Cemetery Common Gravesite? Two, unreadable, military markers are all that identifies those who are buried there. How many people are buried within its ground, names now lost with time and forgotten? How did they die? What is the true story behind this site? Some legends are meant to remain as legend, but not this one. Those buried within this sacred ground have a right to be remembered. Their death and more importantly their lives must be accounted for. In searching for the truth, it was the grounds itself that told the true story. Like so much truth, the answer can be found in the most obvious places. It's easier to believe the legend, and the excitement it generates within our own imagination, than to seek the facts. In determining the exact location of the area in relation to cemetery records, a reading was made of all the bordering gravesites. In a set of original plat books for Mt. Hope Cemetery, the names and their stories were revealed. The original layout for the cemetery was in 18 block sections, having between 11 and 22 lots each. Each lot then contained up to 12 spaces per lot. Many times more than one child or infant would be buried in the same space. The plat book shows that block 1 and 5 lots of block 2 were set aside as "potter's field," having a total of 17 lots. There are approximately 252 gravesites within this area, known as a Common Grave, of which all the names are recorded in the original plat book; the earliest date was May 1846. However, in reading the listings, many interesting facts come to light. In the legends it was said that the gravesite was made when people were dying of cholera, and that those buried there were local residents as well as transients. In at least one place, it was recorded: Block 1, lot 3, space 6, stranger (Irishman) July 6th, 1854 (cholera). In searching the listings, in this area alone, there were 33 deaths recorded from January through September in 1854; 12 of those were listed as "Stranger." The question still remains as to how many of those listed died of cholera? And, how many other deaths in 1854 were recorded in other areas of the cemetery? It should be noted that in reviewing the plat books there were more deaths recorded in 1854 than any other year in our early history. So many questions, but then again, unanswered questions and incomplete facts are what legends are made of.