Back in the Woods

The oldest graves associated with Old Mulkey lie in the original Mill Creek cemetery near the first meetinghouse of Mill Creek Baptist Church, built in 1798 about 600 feet west of the current building, while a second cemetery section was established when the current meetinghouse was built in 1804. Within the park grounds, these two cemetery sections reflect older Kentucky and church burial customs: graves commonly faced east toward the anticipated resurrection, cemeteries were often filled from east to west, hilltop burials from top to bottom, African American graves were usually segregated to the west of white graves, and cedar trees and plants such as periwinkle, spring bulbs, and yuca marked graves. The first cemetery has largely been reclaimed by the Kentucky hardwood forest, leaving fieldstone fragments, grave depressions, and abundant vinca, and no records show how many people were buried there, though a Monroe County genealogist believed hundreds were buried across the two sections; early death records were lacking and the county courthouse burned during the Civil War. Before 1955, the Edwin Steen family of Gamaliel placed a large monument in the original cemetery as a memorial to their ancestors Art, Elmira, Peggy, and Gemima Jackson, who were cousins of Stonewall Jackson. The church's location is closely tied to Mill Creek itself, because the congregation required immersion baptism and the creek, unlike smaller nearby water sources, could supply enough water for church use; after the congregation split, the smaller group that continued as Mill Creek Baptist Church built a short distance upstream and used Mill Creek for baptizing until 1998.

Kentucky · United States