Month: March 2010

I went out to the old Bethel Church Cemetery today. It was a gorgeous day for photographing headstones. A little chilly, but out in the sun, it was warm enough for just a T-shirt and hoodie.

The church itself is no longer in use, but the graveyard is. There’s a good mix of old and new headstones, with lots of room for new graves. As usual, some of the headstones are broken and some have fallen over, but it looks like someone is taking pretty good care of the place. The broken stones are neatly leaning against their bases.

The one sort of creepy-weird thing was that, in the woods behind the cemetery, I found what looked like some limestone slabs. Like the kind you sometimes find on top of graves around here. There wasn’t anything inscribed on them, so it may be that they were discarded there without ever being used. Or their presence there could be completely coincidental. I do wonder if there might be some older graves scattered in those woods, though.

I found the old church and graveyard to be thoroughly charming. It’s everything I think of when I envision early American churches. Very Little House on the Prairie. I would dearly love to peek inside, but it’s completely shut up, and there are no windows.

We must have rules!

Betty Pelfree 1935 – 2002

Johnny Bean

Cinthay Harsh 1814 – 1878

I. G. Ashley DC. Oct.

Mary Josephine Dou’t Wm. & M. A. Gibson Born Nov. 16, 1862 Died April 6, 1883

Plain cross grave marker

Lida Wife of R. B. Gwin Born Feb. 21, 1863 Died Nov. 16, 1892
At Rest