Blog post by Randi Richardson
Just in time for Christmas 2018, the Monroe County History Center Cemetery Committee published a new hardbound book, A Summary of the Cemeteries in Monroe County, Indiana. It’s a big one, 356 pages in length, the result a joint effort. Although typically it does not include a list of burials in a given cemetery, the book includes 298 cemeteries found in Monroe County including some not previously noted.
The cemeteries are noted in alphabetical order by township which makes a given cemetery a little tricky to find if one doesn’t know the township. however, the Table of Contents lists the townships and the cemeteries by name, so one most peruse the various townships to find a given cemetery.
Each township is illustrated with a separate map showing the location and section of each cemetery which is marked with circle, star, cube, or cross. Because there is no key to the symbols, it is not immediately obvious as to what the symbols mean.
Most of the cemeteries include a description of the location. Some include maps; others the physical coordinates. Many include a history, if one could be found, and the names of prominent people buried within the cemetery bounds. Nearly every page includes colored photographs.
On the last few pages of the book are three appendices; “A Selected List of Cemetery Preservation References,” “Cemetery Safety Guidelines,” and “Identifying Types of Materials Used in Tombstones in Monroe County.”
One might expect a comprehensive book like this one to be quite expensive. Not so. Copies can be purchased for $18 from the Monroe County History Center gift shop while quantities last. It is my understanding that the cost of printing was offset by a grant. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to add a piece of Monroe County history to your library at such an affordable price!
Donna Stogsdill
mchclibrary