This True Tale Of The Grave In The Middle Of The Road In Indiana Will Baffle You
By Elizabeth Crozier|Published November 26, 2018
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Elizabeth Crozier
Author
An Illinois transplant who grew up and went to school in Indiana for 22 years, Elizabeth holds a BFA in creative writing and has enjoyed traveling across the country and parts of Europe. She has visited half of the states, as well as parts of Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and regularly travels home to the Hoosier State to see friends and family. With more than five years of writing experience, Elizabeth’s articles have been featured on several websites, and her poetry and short stories have been published in multiple literary journals.
When it comes to roadside attractions in the Hoosier State, this one is historical and sacred. There is a strange grave located in the middle of a road in central Indiana for which locals have many legends. Check it out:
Franklin, Indiana is a moderate-sized town just south of Indianapolis in Johnson County. It is admired for its lovely parks and history museum, but there is one other strange attraction you'll want to see when you visit as well.
Grave In The Middle Of The Road is recognized as a legitimate cemetery that sits in the center of East County Road 400 towards Amity. For many years, locals believed the plot belonged to just one person, but a recent excavation uncovered some unexpected finds.
Nancy Kerlin Barnett is who everyone thought was buried in the strange grave. She was married at the age of 14 in 1808, and when she died 25 years later, her body was buried on her favorite hill that overlooked Sugar Creek. Around 1900, though, the county decided it wanted to build a road right through her grave.
Barnett's kin fought tooth and nail to preserve their family's grave site. Both her son and grandson are said to have objected to relocating the grave. The grandson even kept watch over her grave with a shotgun until the county put the idea to rest.
In 1912, a concrete slab was placed over the grave and the historical marker was added.
Nearly 200 years later, it seems enough of Barnett's kin had passed on that there was no one to object when the grave site was excavated in 2016 in an effort to widen the road. What they found inside was absolutely unexpected.
Instead of just one set of bones, the remains of seven bodies were actually discovered in what is believed to have been a family plot. Two women, four children, and a man were found. Maybe Barnett's grandson knew something everyone else did not. The upturned remains were returned to the plot, each in its own brand new casket.
Grave In The Middle Of The Road is located at 6844 E 400 S, Franklin, IN 46131, and you can drive by anytime.