A ring of trees hides the old cemetery from view, but it stands right next to an abandoned alignment of US 40 and the National Road just west of Plainfield, Indiana. It’s in the upper-right corner of this aerial image.
This scene is the only clue of the cemetery that’s visible from the highway. The small sign calls it Iron’s Cemetery.
The path back to the cemetery is dark.
When you emerge into the light, the hushed space seems to be a million miles from anywhere. US 40 is 150 feet away.
The oldest gravestone I found dates to 1872. The most prominent marker remembers a much-revered minister who died in 1885.
Unfortunately, many gravestones lie broken, as if casually discarded.
I’ve driven the National Road from its beginning in Baltimore, MD to its end in Vandaila, IL. To read everything I’ve ever written about it, click here.
To get Down the Road in your inbox or reader six days a week, click here to subscribe!
To get my newsletter with previews of what I’m working on, click here to subscribe!
