Hiestand Cemetery

The OES visited Hiestand Cemetery on November 7, 2009. Sometimes misspelled Heistand, this cemetery is a small family burying ground. Once located in rural Violet Township, the cemetery is now located in the cul-de-sac of the Summerfield neighborhood. Although there are four tombstones, it is not known if other burials are located in the cemetery. All four of the standing stones were in good condition and the cemetery is very well taken care of. The oldest tombstone belonged to eight-year-old Richard Hiestand, who died in July 1829. The cemetery was located on the Hiestand family farm for many years until a developer bought the property and began building homes there in the late 1990s. The developer knew of the cemetery when the property was transferred and pledged to keep the cemetery intact where it stood. The tombstones had been removed during construction to prevent them from being damaged, so they may not necessarily mark the actual location of the burials. The fence surrounding the cemetery was removed, sandblasted, repainted and rebuilt around the four tombstones with new stone columns. We applaud the developer for preserving Hiestand Cemetery instead of simply digging up the remains and moving them elsewhere, as Homewood Corp. did with nearby Dell Ruse (Feasel) Cemetery.

Location Information: Inactive Cemetery [Safe]

Hiestand Cemetery is located in a cul-de-sac within the Summerfield subdivision; Fairfield County.

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