Franklin County Cleans Up Historic Cemetery
Sunday's Southern Illinois has a story by Jim Muir on a Benton man's efforts to clean up the historic Browning Hill Cemetery near Valier.
Although the article describes the cemetery as the oldest in the county, that designation should be given to the Jordan's Fort Cemetery in southeastern Cave Township that saw its first burial in 1812 following an Indian attack on the fort that killed a Mr. Barbrey.
The seven Jordan brothers and their two Browning nephews built the fort as early as 1804, though it is not believed that they spent all their time there as they're found later around the salines in Gallatin County and were squatters along the Ohio River in Hardin County in the 1807 squatters list.
John Browning, for whom the cemetery is named, entered land there as early as 1814, though another source states he continued to live at the old fort until 1820.
Either way, it's good to see someone working to save these old sites. We need more of this done.
Sunday's Southern Illinois has a story by Jim Muir on a Benton man's efforts to clean up the historic Browning Hill Cemetery near Valier.
Although the article describes the cemetery as the oldest in the county, that designation should be given to the Jordan's Fort Cemetery in southeastern Cave Township that saw its first burial in 1812 following an Indian attack on the fort that killed a Mr. Barbrey.
The seven Jordan brothers and their two Browning nephews built the fort as early as 1804, though it is not believed that they spent all their time there as they're found later around the salines in Gallatin County and were squatters along the Ohio River in Hardin County in the 1807 squatters list.
John Browning, for whom the cemetery is named, entered land there as early as 1814, though another source states he continued to live at the old fort until 1820.
Either way, it's good to see someone working to save these old sites. We need more of this done.
