Crown Hill Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Crown Hill Cemetery, located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis
, is the third largest non-governmental cemetery
in the United States
at 555 acres (224.6 ha). It contains 25 miles (40.2 km) of paved road, over 150 species of trees and plants, over 185,000 graves, and services roughly 1,500 burials per year. It sits on the highest geographic point within the pre-Unigov
city limits of Indianapolis. Section 10 of the cemetery is designated as the Crown Hill National Cemetery
.
soldiers and Confederate
prisoners of war resulting from the American Civil War
prompted the creation of a private board in 1863 to develop a new and larger cemetery. The board bought a farm outside the city limits and hired John Chislett, who was a landscape architect and cemetery superintendent of Pittsburgh, to design the grounds. Chislett retained many of the natural features and laid out winding roads to create a landscape in the Victorian Romantic style.
Crown Hill Cemetery was dedicated on June 1, 1864. The first burial took place the next day, on June 2, for a young mother named Lucy Ann Seaton, who had died of consumption
.
Previously a private farm outside the city limits, Crown Hill Cemetery is a popular picnic location and today is well known for the stunning view of downtown Indianapolis from "The Crown."
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, is the third largest non-governmental cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at 555 acres (224.6 ha). It contains 25 miles (40.2 km) of paved road, over 150 species of trees and plants, over 185,000 graves, and services roughly 1,500 burials per year. It sits on the highest geographic point within the pre-Unigov
Unigov
Unigov is the name adopted by the city of Indianapolis to describe its consolidated city–county government. By an act of the Indiana state legislature, Indianapolis consolidated with the government of Marion County in 1970. Within Unigov are eleven "included towns", which maintain some of their own...
city limits of Indianapolis. Section 10 of the cemetery is designated as the Crown Hill National Cemetery
Crown Hill National Cemetery
Crown Hill National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Indianapolis in Marion County, Indiana. It encompasses of Crown Hill Cemetery, and as of the end of 2005, had 795 interments...
.
History
Prior to the establishment of Crown Hill Cemetery, the primary cemetery in Indianapolis was the 25 acres (10.1 ha) Greenlawn Cemetery on the southwest side of the city. The demand placed on it by the normal demands of a growing city, along with the burials of both UnionUnion Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
soldiers and Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
prisoners of war resulting from the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
prompted the creation of a private board in 1863 to develop a new and larger cemetery. The board bought a farm outside the city limits and hired John Chislett, who was a landscape architect and cemetery superintendent of Pittsburgh, to design the grounds. Chislett retained many of the natural features and laid out winding roads to create a landscape in the Victorian Romantic style.
Crown Hill Cemetery was dedicated on June 1, 1864. The first burial took place the next day, on June 2, for a young mother named Lucy Ann Seaton, who had died of consumption
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
.
Previously a private farm outside the city limits, Crown Hill Cemetery is a popular picnic location and today is well known for the stunning view of downtown Indianapolis from "The Crown."
Notable interments
- James Whitcomb RileyJames Whitcomb RileyJames Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the Hoosier Poet and Children's Poet for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively...
, poet best known for his poem "Little Orphant AnnieLittle Orphant Annie"Little Orphant Annie" is an 1885 poem written by James Whitcomb Riley and published by the Bowen-Merrill Company. First titled "The Elf Child", Riley changed the name to "Little Orphant Allie" at its third printing, however a typecasting error during printing renamed the poem to its current form...
" - Benjamin HarrisonBenjamin HarrisonBenjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
, U.S. President, along with his two wives and a daughter - Booth TarkingtonBooth TarkingtonBooth Tarkington was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novels The Magnificent Ambersons and Alice Adams...
, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes - Caroline HarrisonCaroline HarrisonCaroline Lavinia Scott Harrison , wife of Benjamin Harrison, was first lady of the United States from 1889 until her death. She was the first “first lady” to be born in October.-Early life:...
, first wife of Benjamin Harrison - Mary Dimmick HarrisonMary Dimmick HarrisonMary Dimmick Harrison was the second wife of the 23rd United States president Benjamin Harrison. She was 25 years younger than Harrison, and was the niece of his first wife.- Biography :...
, second wife of Benjamin Harrison - Mary Harrison McKeeMary Harrison McKeeMary Scott Harrison McKee was the first lady to her father President Benjamin Harrison, when her mother, Caroline Harrison, was seriously ill and then died....
, daughter of Benjamin Harrison - Three Vice Presidents of the United StatesVice President of the United StatesThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
, Charles W. FairbanksCharles W. FairbanksCharles Warren Fairbanks was a Senator from Indiana and the 26th Vice President of the United States ....
, Thomas A. HendricksThomas A. HendricksThomas Andrews Hendricks was an American politician who served as a Representative and a Senator from Indiana, the 16th Governor of Indiana , and the 21st Vice President of the United States...
and Thomas R. MarshallThomas R. MarshallThomas Riley Marshall was an American Democratic politician who served as the 28th Vice President of the United States under Woodrow Wilson...
, and vice-presidential nominee George Washington JulianGeorge Washington JulianGeorge Washington Julian was a nineteenth century politician, lawyer and writer who served in Congress from Indiana. He was the son-in-law of Joshua Reed Giddings.-Biography:... - Ezra Dee AlexanderEzra Dee AlexanderEzra Dee Alexander was a founder of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. He served on the Grand Board of Directors as a non-voting member until his death.-Early life:...
, founder Kappa Alpha PsiKappa Alpha PsiKappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
Fraternity, Inc. - Lyman S. Ayres, founder of L. S. Ayres department stores
- Erwin "Cannonball" Baker, record-setting motorcycle racer
- James BaskettJames BaskettJames Baskett was an American actor known for his portrayal of Uncle Remus, singing the song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" in the 1946 Disney feature film Song of the South, for which he was given an Honorary Academy Award, making him the first male performer of African descent to receive an Oscar.- Career...
, Uncle RemusUncle RemusUncle Remus is a fictional character, the title character and fictional narrator of a collection of African American folktales adapted and compiled by Joel Chandler Harris, published in book form in 1881...
in Disney's Song of the SouthSong of the SouthSong of the South is a 1946 American musical film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film is based on the Uncle Remus cycle of stories by Joel Chandler Harris. The live actors provide a sentimental frame story, in which Uncle Remus relates the folk tales of the... - Ovid ButlerOvid ButlerOvid Butler was an attorney, newspaper publisher, and university founder from the state of Indiana, United States.-Personal life:...
, founder of Butler UniversityButler UniversityButler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health... - Julia CarsonJulia CarsonJulia May Carson , born Julia May Porter, was a member of the United States House of Representatives for from 1997 until her death in 2007 . Carson was the first woman and first African American to represent the 7th District...
, former United States Congresswomen of Indiana from the 7th districtIndiana's 7th congressional districtIndiana's 7th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Indiana. Based in the heart of the state, the district encompasses most of Marion County and Indianapolis.... - Cecil Duane CrabbCecil Duane CrabbCecil Duane Crabb was an American composer of ragtime music and a member of Indianapolis group of ragtime composers....
, ragtime composer - Elder Watson DiggsElder Watson DiggsElder Watson Diggs was a principal founder of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. He was the fraternity's first Polemarch , and received the Laurel Wreath, the highest recognition of achievement bestowed by Kappa Alpha Psi.-Early life:Diggs was born in Madisonville, Kentucky, on December 23,...
, a founder of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. - John DillingerJohn DillingerJohn Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
, a notorious bank robber - Howard GarnsHoward GarnsHoward Garns was an American architect who gained fame only after his death as the creator of Number Place, the number puzzle that became a worldwide phenomenon under the name Sudoku.-Invention of Number Place:...
, inventor of SudokuSudokuis a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid contains all of the digits from 1 to 9... - Dr. Richard Jordan GatlingRichard Jordan GatlingDr. Richard Jordan Gatling was an American inventor best known for his invention of the Gatling gun, the first successful machine gun.-Life:...
, inventor of the Gatling gunGatling gunThe Gatling gun is one of the best known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. It is well known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat... - Dr. Guy Levis GrantGuy Levis GrantGuy Levis Grant was a founder of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. He was instrumental in developing The Story of Kappa Alpha Psi, the primary historical document for the fraternity, and was named Grand Historian Emeritus of the fraternity.-Early life:Guy Levis Grant was born in New...
, a founder of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. - John Wesley HardrickJohn Wesley HardrickJohn Wesley Hardrick was an American artist. He painted landscapes, still lifes and portraits.-Early life and family origins:...
, artist - Sarah T. BoltonSarah T. BoltonSarah T. Bolton , an American poet and Indiana's "pioneer poet," is best known for her poem “Paddle Your Own Canoe” . An activist for women’s rights, she worked with Robert Dale Owen during Indiana's 1850–1851 Constitutional Convention to include the recognition of women's property rights...
, poet - Alfa Lloyd Hayes, a founder of Delta ZetaDelta ZetaDelta Zeta is an international college sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Today, Delta Zeta has 158 collegiate chapters in the United States and over 200 alumnae chapters in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada...
Sorority - G T HaywoodGarfield Thomas HaywoodGarfield Thomas Haywood was an African American pastor and song writer who served as Presiding Bishop of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World from 1925 to 1931.-Early life:...
, First Presiding Bishop of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the WorldPentecostal Assemblies of the WorldThe Pentecostal Assemblies of the World is a Pentecostal Christian denomination. Founded in 1914, it is one of the oldest Oneness Pentecostal organizations in existence. Headquarters are in Indianapolis, Indiana, and The Christian Outlook is the church's official publication...
. - Robert IrsayRobert IrsayRobert Irsay , was an American professional football team owner. He owned the National Football League's Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts franchise and, briefly, the former Los Angeles Rams.-Biography:...
, former owner of the Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League .... - Colonel Eli LillyColonel Eli LillyEli Lilly was an American soldier, pharmaceutical chemist, industrialist, entrepreneur, and founder of the Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceutical corporation...
, founder of Eli Lilly and CompanyEli Lilly and CompanyEli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...
, as well as several of his descendants, including Josiah K. Lilly Sr.Josiah K. Lilly Sr.Josiah Kirby Lilly, Sr. was a pharmaceutical industrialist, philanthropist, and President of Eli Lilly and Company.-Life:...
, Josiah K. Lilly Jr.Josiah K. Lilly Jr.Josiah Kirby Lilly, Jr. was a pharmaceutical industrialist and President of Eli Lilly and Company from 1948 to 1953. Lilly, a 1914 graduate of the school of pharmacy at the University of Michigan, was the last family member to run the company. He was named for his father, Josiah K. Lilly, Sr.,...
, and Eli LillyEli Lilly (industrialist)Eli Lilly was a pharmaceutical industrialist and philanthropist from Indiana, United States.- Business :Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Eli Lilly was President of Eli Lilly and Company. He was named for his grandfather, Colonel Eli Lilly, who founded the family business... - Frank McKinneyFrank McKinneyFrank McKinney was a backstroke swimmer from the United States. He was later a bank executive.The son of Frank E...
, Olympic gold medal winning swimmer, later president of Bank One of Indiana and civic booster - Oliver MortonOliver Hazard Perry MortonOliver Hazard Perry Throck Morton , commonly known as Oliver P. Morton, was a U.S. Republican Party politician from Indiana. He served as the 14th Governor of Indiana during the American Civil War, and was a stalwart ally of President Abraham Lincoln. During the war, Morton suppressed the...
, the famed "War Governor" during the Civil War. - Alexander RalstonAlexander RalstonAlexander Ralston was one of two co-architects for the design of the city of Indianapolis, Indiana.-Life:Alexander Ralston was born in Scotland in 1771. In Britain he was engineer working for the Baron of Roslin on his estate before immigrating to the United States after the American Revolution...
, surveyor who platPlatA plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted Indianapolis in 1821, including the cemetery which Crown Hill eventually replaced - Toad RamseyToad RamseyThomas H. "Toad" Ramsey was an American Major League Baseball player who pitched in the Majors from to . Ramsey spent his entire career in the American Association, split between two different teams. He played for the Louisville Colonels, and later, the St. Louis Browns...
, Major League Baseball player from 1885 through 1890. - John WoodruffJohn WoodruffJohn Youie Woodruff was an American athlete and winner of the 800 metres at the 1936 Summer Olympics....
, Olympic Gold Medalist - Eleven Indiana Governors
- Kentucky GovernorGovernor of KentuckyThe Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of government in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Fifty-six men and one woman have served as Governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-election once...
William S. TaylorWilliam S. TaylorWilliam Sylvester Taylor was the 33rd Governor of Kentucky. He was initially declared the winner of the disputed gubernatorial election of 1899, but the Kentucky General Assembly reversed the election results, giving the victory to his opponent, William Goebel... - Fourteen United States Senators
- Fourteen Indianapolis Mayors
- Sixteen American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
generals, including Union brigadier general Jefferson C. DavisJefferson C. DavisJefferson Columbus Davis was an officer in the United States Army who served in the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, and the Modoc War. He was the first commander of the Department of Alaska, from 1868 to 1870... - 1,616 Confederate soldiers who died during their confinement at the Union prison camp Camp MortonCamp MortonCamp Morton was a Union prisoner-of-war camp located in Indianapolis, Indiana during the American Civil War. It was named for Indiana governor Oliver Morton, who was the governor of Indiana during the War. It lasted from 1861-1865...
and whose remains were transferred to Crown Hill in 1931.