The Hamer Cemetery

The Hamer Cemetery reflects the customs and beliefs of frontier Hoosiers in the 1800s. It began from immediate need when a traveler died during the night near this place, and mill owner Hugh Hamer had his carpenters build a coffin and bury the man in the woods, later deeding the surrounding area, including the grave, for use as a cemetery. Cemeteries were placed on the highest ground to protect graves from flooding and to place them closer to God. In some cemeteries, graves face east in the belief that when the sun rises on Judgement Day, souls will rise facing God, but most headstones in Hamer Cemetery face west. Many early graves were unmarked, and Hamer Cemetery has thirty to forty unmarked graves. Its symbols include a star for heavenly guidance; a compass, carpenter's square, and the letter G for a member of the Masons; a hand pointing upward to heaven; a lamb for innocence, often on a child's grave; and the weeping willow, Salix babylonica, symbolizing grief and mourning, with its scientific name drawn from Psalm 137. Hugh Hamer's ownership marked the mill's heyday after he arrived at Spring Mill in 1825 as mill manager and miller, and in the 1830s he and his brother Thomas took over ownership of the mill.

Indiana · United States