COWLES & GAMMILL CEMETERIES

TOO MANY TO LIST

Posted By: Nancee Seifert (email)
Date: 10/13/2014 at 09:08:22

YESTERDAY'S CEMETERY HUNT...

It was a perfect day, weather wise, yesterday and I was itchin' to get out
and go cemetery hunting in Hamilton Township again.. Since I had found the
Dale Cemetery -- I thought I'd go look for the Gammill Cemetery and possibly
Cowles Cemetery. The map is on the Decatur Co. website http://www.iagenweb
org/Decatur/mapDocs/mapHamilton.HTML

Since we'd had rain a few days before and these were dirt roads I'd be going
on, I hoped they had dried out enough to navigate -- at least on foot!! So,
I drove past Dale Cemetery, which is now "Quarry Road" and went on to the T
and turned right, as I could see the dirt road there. I drove on it (since
my little green 'hearse' is pretty light) Then I came to a one lane bridge
that was closed and probably has been for some time.. Load limit 7 tons --
so I'm under that and thought, what the heck, I'll walk across it.. Armed
with camera bag and map, I headed across and could see why it was closed --
pretty old and the planks were starting to rot.. Nice old iron bridge with a
great view of a muddy 'Little River'... All of a sudden I spotted several
very long black (or maybe hog) snakes curled around the iron rails, sunning
themselves.. Wow, I had to take their pictures. One was under the planks
and was too lazy to bother me; THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

On the other side of the bridge, which is on "Campbell Road", you come to
Boothtown Road" and I headed to the right and walked up the hill and around
for a good 2 miles, taking pics of an abandoned house and other things... I
climbed thru a barbed wire fence (now, mind you I don't go in if it says "No
Trespassing" -- and this didn't. I'm not as agile as I used to be, so got my
pants caught and tore them trying to shrink myself small enough to get thru
the barbed wires.. So, since I found no cemetery, I decided to walk back
down to the 'T' and go up the other direction... The 4-wheelers had tried to
navigate it and it had 12" ruts and was still a bit muddy...

Don't know about the rest of you, but I talk to myself (or the air) when I'm
walking and I had just said, "Lord, show me where these cemeteries are -- I
ll walk wherever I have to." Well, up on the left on top of a big hill,
there was Cowles Cemetery.. What a serendipity!! I took pictures and just
plain enjoyed the peacefulness...

I walked (trying to navigate the ruts and mud) back down "Boothtown Road"
and back to my little green 'hearse' with more determination to find the
Gammill Cemetery.. A guy in a Grand River Mutual truck went around the
curve and stopped up the hill going the other direction.. Well, being the
charming 'Maxine' that I am, I asked him if he knew where the Gammill
Cemetery might be... He was very friendly and funny... He pointed to Dale
Cemetery -- I had already been there.. Then he said that up over the hill
(which was gravel up to the house up there) and dirt on past it. I stopped
at the house and there were 3 very big, older dogs there; so I honked to see
if the lady who lives there would come out and give me directions... Then
the GRM guy in the truck came up the hill and went around the house and
pointed to the headstones across the way... WALA, he'd found Gammill
Cemetery for me... (Remember, I believe in Angels...)

I parked the 'hearse' and decided to walk the 1/4 mile to the cemetery, as I
didn't want to get into mud and get stuck... So, the dogs and I became
instant friends (old dogs like old ladies?!) and with my camera bag I headed
for the cemetery... The white dog decided to go with me.. There is no sign
for the cemetery, but it is mowed and in good condition -- so I went about
the business of chalking a few stones and taking pictures.. The first few
pictures have the white dog, which would lay down by the stone.. So be it..
(There were about 8 large Morrel mushrooms by the pine tree - so I took pics
. of them too.)

Well, being pretty 'full of myself' and tired, but happy, I headed back to
Leon... I forgot to mention that the "Quarry Road" which goes from CR R46
up to the Dale Cemetery and on, is like a roller coaster -- and I remembered
how our dad would take us out in our '49 Chevy and drive as fast as he could
up the hill and then let up off the gas, and our stomachs would come up into
our throats going down the hill.. What fun..

So, another successful day and I headed back home. I'll get the pictures
put on the Gravestone Photos and then you can see them if you want..
Nancee