The OES visited Hendren Cemetery on April 10, 2004. Also known as Barnhart Cemetery, what remains of this cemetery is just off State Route 317 in Groveport near the new industrial park. Records indicate Hendren Cemetery was established in 1826 and contained at least 35 burials, but the oldest recorded burial occurred in 1801 when Joseph Flemington died. His was the earliest known marked grave in Madison Township. His marker has been lost to time. The cemetery probably looked very pleasant through the mid to late 1880s, but when we visited the cemetery was one of the most overgrown, dilapidated cemeteries we had visited up until that point. All of the tombstones were broken and piled into an overgrown area in the corner of a field. Almost none of the tombstones were in their proper location and many could not be read due to erosion and other damage. To top off the the bad conditions, there were deer carcasses scattered about the grounds. We’re not sure why there were so many dead deer, but it did not seem natural to us. One thing we were certain of was the cemetery had been forgotten for a long time. There was some construction going on in an adjacent field, so we believed the cemetery could be in danger of vanishing completely. Fortunately a restoration project began to clean up and restore Hendren Cemetery a few years after our visit. Progress was made in placing a plaque with those buried listed, a new gate was installed, and some of the tombstones were reset. We may return to the cemetery at some point in the future to report on its restoration.
Location Information: Inactive Cemetery [Safe]
Hendren Cemetery is located off State Route 317 in Groveport; Franklin County.
Photographs
Most of Hendren Cemetery's tombstones were piled up and scattered about.
It was hard to see the tombstones were there unless you looked carefully.
As you can see, many of the tombstones were toppled over and on their sides.
Some tombstones had been down for so long that vegetation was growing on them.
In the summer, no one would be able to see the tombstones due to the overgrowth.
A pile of smaller tombstones was in one corner.
Several larger stones were stacked on each other. The tombstone on top was too weathered to read.
More tombstones scattered about.
This black tombstone belonged to William and Elizabeth Kile. Elizabeth, William's first wife, died on March 14, 1848. William died in 1870.
The tombstone of Sarah Kile. She was married to Robert Kile until his death in 1843 and became William Kile's second wife. Sarah died in 1863.
This tombstone belonged to John and Mary Kile. John died in 1845 and Mary went on to become William Kile's third wife before her death in 1881.
These broken stones were near the front of the overgrowth.
Phebe K. Swisher's tombstone. She died about two months shy of her second birthday.
This tombstone belonged to John Swisher, who died on July 8, 1856 at 18-years-old.
The tombstone of Martha Sallee-Perrin, who died in 1845. Her husband William died in 1845 as well.
The tombstone of Robert Hendren and his daughter Alice. Alice died at just four months old. Robert died in April 1864 at 42-years-old.
John Whitmore's tombstone was on the ground like so many others. Born in 1844, John died on January 29, 1876.
This grassy knoll could be part of the cemetery. The photos following this are of the deer remains. Stop here if you're squeamish to such sights.
One of the many deer skull that were in the cemetery.
There were anywhere from six to ten deer carcasses at the edge of the cemetery. This one was rotted away to nothing but bone.
This looked like a pile of fur, but it was another deer.
This animal skull was on the branch of a downed limb.
