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Mauckport Cemeteries Fund

Fund Number: 250

Fund Purpose
Supports charitable and educational activities of Mauckport Cemeteries Foundation, Inc.

Fund Story
The Mauckport Cemeteries Fund was established in May 2016 by the Mauckport Cemeteries Foundation, an organization that was incorporated in 2012 by people who have been overseeing care of the cemeteries for several years. The endowment fund will be a source of revenue for the perpetual care of Mauckport Cemeteries.

Early members of the Mauckport Cemeteries Foundation include James and Iris Yeager and Fern Cline. Cemetery foundation members typically have family buried there or have a general interest in the cemeteries’ history.

The foundation maintains four sections of cemeteries: the Flora section, the Frank section, the Yeager section and a historical section. The sections are on River Road in Mauckport, leading toward New Amsterdam. All of the sections are still active except the historical section, where the newly deceased are no longer being buried.

About 10 Civil War veterans are buried in the historical section, along with some people who were prominent in early Harrison County. These include four doctors, as well as Adam Sibert, who moved the state records from Corydon to Indianapolis in 1824 after Indianapolis had become the new state capital. Many years ago, a tree grew around Sibert’s stone and broke it, and Harrison County historian Fred Griffin had the stone reset.

Jacob Sherman is also buried in the historical section. When Confederate General John Hunt Morgan crossed the Ohio River at Morvin’s Landing near Mauckport, Sherman rode on horseback up the river on the Indiana side to warn the "Gray Eagle" boat not to come down river because General Morgan had seized two boats in Brandenburg, Kentucky. His efforts were rewarded with a large bell, which is still on display at the Mauckport shelterhouse.

The cemetery foundation members maintain the property of all four cemetery sections by mowing, cleaning and replacing fencing, trimming trees, removing debris and performing other maintenance tasks. They have also replaced a barrier wall and addressed areas that tended to hold water. The Mauckport Cemeteries Fund has benefited Mauckport Cemeteries Foundation by alleviating concerns about how to maintain the cemeteries in the future.

Barb Crecelius, a member of Mauckport Cemeteries Foundation, said the cemeteries are cornerstones of the town. The sections have helped local historians, such as Nina Faith and others, preserve Mauckport’s history before and after the 1937 flood.

“The families of the community can rest assured that the place where their relatives are buried is well maintained, and it will be one of the nicer areas of the town,” Barb said. “People want to come to a place that’s peaceful, well maintained and respectful.”

Thelma Thomas, the secretary of Mauckport Cemeteries Foundation, said trying to keep the cemeteries maintained is a challenge, but the Mauckport Cemeteries Fund can help the foundation receive more donations and reach more people.

“It’s a great opportunity - an opportunity to receive matching funds and an opportunity to spread the word, and to maintain the perpetual care of it for generations to come,” Thelma said.

Fund Impact:
2017: Supported mowing expenses
2018: Supported tree removal and mowing expenses
2019: To support mowing expenses and parking lot maintenance
2021: To support mowing and road maintenance
2023: To support mowing and maintenance expenses; to have five trees cut down and removed from the Mauckport Cemetery