How many times are you able to hear the story behind the person buried there or their headstone that marks their final resting place? Well that is one of the rare joys that we get to experience doing the work we do. Today Tracy Wilson & myself, Co-Founders of Headstone Healers of Indiana, were able to enjoy that today. We was looking for a cemetery that we believed to be west of Fish Creek Road here in Owen County. As we turned on this road we was greeted with a sign that said "Dead End" but our determination pushed us on. We got to the end of the road and there was this beautiful creek with an amazing waterfall and an old iron bridge that hadn't seen a vehicle in over 50 years we found out later. To our right was a drive that went back to a old cabin and barn and signs saying "NO TRESPASSING".
Well we no more than stopped the car and here comes this older gentleman, appox 80+ years old, in bib overalls on a lawn mower down the long lane. I stepped out of the car and met the gentleman and when he turned his mower off I greeted him with my name and he said "Mines Leonard Hendershot, nice to meet you". So I stated our business for being there. I said "We are looking for a cemetery in this area, have you ever seen one around here?". He looked me over and scratched his chin and thought for a second. Then he asked me "How big is it?" and I replied "I have no idea, the county has no record of it." Then I notice a small toothless smile come over his face and he said " I think I know what your looking for." So I asked him "Can you tell me how to get there?" and he said "Well you wont have to go very far, follow me."
So we walk about 20 feet back down the road we just came from, following Mr Hendershot, and he stops and says "We'll go up the bank right here." So up this steep embankment we went and when we got to the top he said "Now I havent seen this in many years but my mother told me the story about it. See my grandfather cut the logs and built the cabin I live in around 1840. My mother was raised here and she told me wonderful stories of the people that came through here when this was the main road to Terre Haute. She told me stories of when the circus would come that they would camp out here and the elephants would move the wagons around because they was heavy for the horses to move. She even witness one of the elephants get mad and pick up a wagon and smash it. There is only one grave here and the story my mother told me was that the lady died while traveling through going west and that her family buried her here and made her this stone before they moved on to where they was headed. Only one other person has ever showed up asking about it. The headstone is leaning against a tree and made of sandstone". So we started looking for this stone and low and behold we found it! It read "Eliza Gash 1848".
I began cleaning the stone and like always, the name and dated started to appear. The tree it was leaned against was now only a rotted stump. Mr Hendershot said "That was a nice size tree when I seen it".as he sat down to rest. It was almost like finding GOLD! So if your every west of Spencer and want to stop and visit with Mr Hendershot, I'm sure he would love to tell his stories to you as you visit Ms Eliza Gash.
Well we no more than stopped the car and here comes this older gentleman, appox 80+ years old, in bib overalls on a lawn mower down the long lane. I stepped out of the car and met the gentleman and when he turned his mower off I greeted him with my name and he said "Mines Leonard Hendershot, nice to meet you". So I stated our business for being there. I said "We are looking for a cemetery in this area, have you ever seen one around here?". He looked me over and scratched his chin and thought for a second. Then he asked me "How big is it?" and I replied "I have no idea, the county has no record of it." Then I notice a small toothless smile come over his face and he said " I think I know what your looking for." So I asked him "Can you tell me how to get there?" and he said "Well you wont have to go very far, follow me."
So we walk about 20 feet back down the road we just came from, following Mr Hendershot, and he stops and says "We'll go up the bank right here." So up this steep embankment we went and when we got to the top he said "Now I havent seen this in many years but my mother told me the story about it. See my grandfather cut the logs and built the cabin I live in around 1840. My mother was raised here and she told me wonderful stories of the people that came through here when this was the main road to Terre Haute. She told me stories of when the circus would come that they would camp out here and the elephants would move the wagons around because they was heavy for the horses to move. She even witness one of the elephants get mad and pick up a wagon and smash it. There is only one grave here and the story my mother told me was that the lady died while traveling through going west and that her family buried her here and made her this stone before they moved on to where they was headed. Only one other person has ever showed up asking about it. The headstone is leaning against a tree and made of sandstone". So we started looking for this stone and low and behold we found it! It read "Eliza Gash 1848".
I began cleaning the stone and like always, the name and dated started to appear. The tree it was leaned against was now only a rotted stump. Mr Hendershot said "That was a nice size tree when I seen it".as he sat down to rest. It was almost like finding GOLD! So if your every west of Spencer and want to stop and visit with Mr Hendershot, I'm sure he would love to tell his stories to you as you visit Ms Eliza Gash.
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