When I mentioned to a group of church friends this past weekend that I was writing a blog post on cemeteries, with the thought that some parents might want to take their children to these special spots to study history, one of my friends asked, “You’d take a child to a cemetery?” Well, yes, I would-- because when I was growing up, taking wreaths to my father’s parents’ graves on Memorial Day was an important part of family life. And it usually got my dad talking about his mother, whom I never met because she died in 1940. It was one way I learned about my paternal grandmother’s life. My husband and I both enjoy studying history via headstones. We found this out on our first date. He had officiated at a funeral that day and somehow we got to talking about cemeteries and we ended up walking around at the main cemetery in Fort Collins, CO. We discovered that there had been a smallpox epidemic in the city in the early 1900s, that those who had died of the disease were buried in a far corner of the cemetery, and in 1980 there was still a wide berth around those graves before any others were laid to rest near them.
The History of Memorial Day
My maternal grandmother always called Memorial Day “Decoration Day” its original name, because this was a time to honor those who died in service to their country.
Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
Historic Fort Wayne Cemeteries
There are a number of large cemeteries in Fort Wayne but the most “famous” is undoubtedly Lindenwood Cemetery. Many of Fort Wayne’s founders are buried here and I highly suggest a walk through this beautiful place in the heart of our city. At The History Center, you can purchase several articles to guide you. You can also use our free digital Allen County Historic Sites Pass. “Eternal Landscapes: A Historical and Natural Guide to Lindenwood Cemetery” provides a map of different kinds of trees and birds you’ll find there and “Pioneers Resting in Historic Lindenwood” gives a brief guide to some of our town fathers and mothers and their contributions to our city. History is more than dates, wars and presidents. It’s people. And with the resources we have in this city to study the people of the past, it’s a shame not to take advantage of them. Take some time this year to get to know your city and come visit The History Center. You’ll be glad you did.
There is a small cemetery — Oak Cemetery — just off South Bend and Jefferson, behind the Subway/DQ and the strip mall, that has been around for a long time. Father William Karber, whose headstone is pictured here, has one of the older headstones that have remained in good condition.
Further south, along Engle Road, is St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery, established in 1853, but not at this location. When this Evangelical Lutheran Church was established by German Lutheran immigrants, they also felt it important to establish both a school and a cemetery. Their first five acre cemetery was adjacent to the Fort Wayne City Cemetery at the location of what is now McCollough Park on Broadway near the GE Plant. Around 1864, the city moved their cemetery to its current location on West Main and it was renamed Lindenwood. St. John’s moved their cemetery also to Maple and Park Avenue. But neighbors at the original spot and the newer one were “uncomfortable” with having a cemetery in their neighborhood and so the third cemetery for St. John’s was dedicated in August, 1872 on Engle Road. With every move, all of those buried in the cemeteries were also moved. According to St. John's Lutheran Church, of the original “Founding Fathers”, only Michael Mueller is not buried at this cemetery. The headstones in the St. John’s Cemetery reflect the German heritage of those buried there. A number of graves have stones carved with German words. And the artwork of the monuments is spectacular.
If you go further into Waynedale, down Old Trail Road, you will come to Prairie Grove Cemetery, established in June 1874. Burials at this site, donated by Joseph and Catherine Mason, actually occurred as early as 1834. The chapel on the ground was built by the United Brethren Church in the 1850s and was served by circuit riders until 1901.
Have you ever been to the Little Turtle Memorial on Lawton Park Place? Signs direct you to the site from Spy Run and once you’re parked you venture back between two houses to a small wooded area. Tucked into the space are various stones with carvings about one of our area’s more famous Native Americans.
This post was originally posted in December 2014 and has been updated.
