Hi To All,
Zion Lutheran Cemetery on Blue Creek Road in Highland Township,
FranklinCounty has been on the restoration list since the inception of
INPCRP however it has lacked a Volunteer Coordinator and much is left to
be done.
The owner of the land surrounding the cemetery, Richard Fussner was
very helpful in clearing brush and fallen trees. However Mr. Fussner
met a tragic death in September 1999 When his tractor was struck by a
speeding car on the narrow road near the cemetery. I live in Minnesota
and have had an interest in the cemetery since 1987 when I discovered my
great grandmothers grave there. I have managed a number of visits since
and always tried to do some clean up and installed a sign in April 1998
which I dedicated to the memory of all of the Pioneers buried there.
The cemetery was established in 1844 with the last burial about 1882.
The cemetery is located in a wooded area, perwinkle ground cover has
prevented heavy weed growth, many wild flowers bloom there in spring so
actually it is better not to mow it. It is in badly need of a fence to
keep the boundaries defined for the future. The 4 corner posts are
standing, plus some remnants of barb wire. Mr. Fussner and I were
discussing a split rail fence shortly before his death. He was going to
donate logs from his farm and I was going to try and raise funds for the
splitting of the logs and installation. Of course all of this went by
the way side with Mr. Fussners death. I am still interested in seeing a
fence installed. Other work that needs to be done is probing for
stones and plotting the graves. There are 10 graves identified from the
stones, however there probably were 2 or 3 times that many buried
there. Randy Klemme is the INPCRP Coordinator for Franklin County,
however Coordinators are needed to oversee the restoration of individual
cemeteries. Please!!!! if you live in Franklin County and can help
coordinate the restoration at Zion Cemetery please let me or Randy
know. I would be happy to hear from you and give you further
information. Pictures of Zion Lutheran Cemetery are posted at the
following URL>
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/6893/projectzlutheran.html
Don Bohrer