A historic local cemetery could soon could receive a long-overdue facelift.
Located off County Road 500N on the north side of the Columbus Municipal Airport, the Hawpatch-Liberty Cemetery is about a half-mile west of Marr Road.
Since the cemetery is within a remote part of the airport, few people have seen it with the exception of farmers, airport maintenance workers and a few bicyclists.
It was established in 1821 — exactly 200 years ago. The Hawpatch area is the first section of the county to be inhabited by settlers of European descent, according to an Aug. 12, 1942 edition of the Evening Republican, predecessor to The Republic.
In order to commemorate the bicentennials, as well as their own 100th anniversary, the Joseph Hart Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) are partnering with Flatrock Township Trustee Lisa Moore to give the cemetery a long-overdue facelift.
If the trustee and DAR members can raise at least $20,000, the funds will be used to:
Clean and restore the gravestones of the many veterans, as well as their friends and family.
Create a map of the gravestones in the cemetery, which can be used by visitors.
Install a bench near the Veterans Memorial on the east side of the cemetery.
The DAR is a women’s service group dedicated to patriotism, education and historic preservation.
While about 40 Bartholomew County veterans dating back to early America are buried in the remote location, there have been at least 766 burials in the cemetery, according to the Find-a-Grave website.
Three years ago, advocates for the Veteran’s Memorial on the cemetery’s east side said it was necessary because individual tombstones had become so weather-worn that they are impossible to read. While the cost to restore each gravestone is dependent on its size and condition, the price is usually between $50 to $200.
Among the earliest pioneers buried in the cemetery are Benjamin Start (died 1822), Benidictus Starr (died 1827) and Enos Owens (died 1826). All were contemporaries of Joseph Cox, widely considered as the first white settler of Bartholomew County. Cox, who died in 1851 at the age of 85, is buried just a few miles to the south in a small plot off Middle Road, north of Rocky Ford Road.
The first Revolutionary War veteran to be laid to rest at Liberty Cemetery was Solomon Tracey (1745-1839), according to historic records. He was later joined by Thomas McQueen, a member of a prominent Clifford family who had also fought the British for American independence, records state.
Two other members of the same family who fought for their country in separate conflicts are buried there: Benjamin McQueen (War of 1812) and Joshua McQueen (American Civil War). There were also two members of the Steenbarger family who both fought in World War I that were laid to rest at Liberty.
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Donations to the planned improvements at Hawpatch-Liberty Cemetery can be made in in three ways:
1) Send a check made out to Flatrock Township – Liberty Cemetery Fund, and mail it to Flatrock Township Trustee Lisa Moore at 6526 E. Richard Court, Columbus IN 47203.
2) Use PayPal to donate, via paypal.me/josephhartdar with a note that the funds are for Liberty Cemetery (or search for [email protected] on PayPal)
3) Use the GoFundMe Account for this project: https://gofund.me/269e76d7
Contributions will help us build up funds and request matching grants.
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