Eastern Cemetery (Louisville)

Eastern Cemetery is a 28-acre cemetery located at 641 Baxter Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, abutting Cave Hill Cemetery.[1] It contains about 16,000 graves, though documentation for about 138,000 bodies.[1] This imbalance is due to the cemetery formerly being a site for mass paupers' graves and from the reuse of grave sites.[1][2]

History

Originally known as The Methodist,[3] the 28-acre Eastern Cemetery is located at 641 Baxter Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, abutting Cave Hill Cemetery.[1][3] The grounds were purchased by two Methodist Episcopal churches and used for burials by 1844.[3] It hosted Louisville's first crematoriums.[4] Louisville Crematories and Cemetery Corporation owned the cemetery by the late 1980s.[4]

By the mid 19th century, mass paupers' graves were used for burial in Eastern Cemetery. As of January 2017, the site has about 16,000 graves, and documentation for about 138,000 bodies.[1] The pauper's graves contribute to the imbalance, but the public learned in 1989 that owners also had been reusing purchased grave sites.[1][2] The property has fallen into disrepair since this news was brought to light, with neither Kentucky nor the original owners accepting ownership and financial responsibility for restorations.[1][5] Louisville Crematories and Cemetery Corporation was dissolved, and its perpetual care fund lacks functional interest.[4] Maintenance is currently provided by veterans, volunteer groups like the Friends of Eastern Cemetery, and Dismas Charities.[1][5]

Mismanagement

In 1989, a whistleblower working for Louisville Crematories and Cemetery Company made the public aware that graves purchased by families had been reused.[1] Bodies were buried atop other bodies, graves were carelessly excavated for reuse, and medical cadaver body parts from the University of Louisville were buried in-mass rather than intact (as is legally required for donated bodies).[1] Human bones were found in inappropriate areas, including in a tool box, a glove compartment, a fast food bag, and shallow graves.[2] Some of the behavior had been practiced since the 1920s,[2] and records indicate reuse began in 1858.[4] Officials resigned and were charged with 60 counts of charges that included reuse of graves and abuse of corpses,[2] but there were no legal consequences.[1] The behavior is the subject of the 2017 documentary Facing East, referring to Eastern as "the most over-buried cemetery in America".[1]

People interred at Eastern Cemetery

References
  1. "Eastern Cemetery documentary 'Facing East' aims to finally tell the full story – Insider Louisville". Insider Louisville. 2017-01-17. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
  2. "Thousands Buried in Old Graves, Investigators in Kentucky Report". The New York Times. 1989-11-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
  3. Kleber, John E. (2015-01-13). The Encyclopedia of Louisville. University Press of Kentucky. p. 170. ISBN 9780813149745.
  4. "History". Friendsofeasterncemetery.com. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
  5. "Party held at Eastern Cemetery on Baxter sparks concern about treatment of resting place – Insider Louisville". Insider Louisville. 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
  6. "Felton Snow, Buck Leonard and Josh Gibson". Wdrb.com. Retrieved 8 October 2022.

38.2465°N 85.7246°W / 38.2465; -85.7246

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