Porter (Rea) Cemetery

Porter (Rea) Cemetery was officially created on September 6, 1854, when Samuel Gard deeded land to trustees for a burial ground. Free African-American settlers from Huggart Settlement were buried here alongside their white neighbors, not segregated. The Porter Cemetery Association was formed on May 9, 1884, with both white and African-American charter members. The cemetery has always been a neighborhood burial ground for members from churches of various denominations. It has been called Porter Rea for decades, perhaps because both the Porter and Rea families owned adjacent land. Although enclosed in Potato Creek State Park, it remains an active independent cemetery managed by the Porter Cemetery Association.

Indiana · United States