Writer / Heather Collins
When Muncie was known as Munceytown village, residents had picnics, an ox roast and lively gatherings in the area’s only cemetery. A former sacred burial ground of the Delaware Indians, Beech Grove Cemetery is now one of the largest cemeteries in the state.
The Historic Beech Grove Cemetery Tour occurs Saturday, Oct. 10, from 3:30-7 p.m. Attendees can take a guided tour of the grounds and learn about the people of Muncie’s past. The 41,000 burials include many notable local, historical and public figures.
Beech Grove Cemetery was originally Muncie’s only public cemetery. The cemetery was chartered in 1841 on 1½ acres. Since then, the cemetery has grown to more than 100 acres.
The Historic Beech Grove Cemetery Tour is a family-friendly, outdoor event. Throughout the guided tour, Muncie Civic Theatre actors portray their own vignettes of historic people buried at the cemetery.
According to the Beech Grove Cemetery website, the hallowed area contains more history of Muncie and Delaware County than any other area.
Tour committee chair Denise King is president of the Board of Trustees for Beech Grove Cemetery and treasurer of the Old West End Neighborhood Association.
King said the event is a celebration of local history and a way to showcase the beautiful architecture and grounds.
“There are so many fascinating people interred in Beech Grove, both in terms of local history and the national stage,” King says.
Trick-or-treaters should note that the creator of the M&M’s candy coating, Peter Trimton, is interred there. Trimton also created the famous M&M’s tagline, “melts in your mouth, not in your hands.”
Hosted by the Old West End Neighborhood Association, the community is invited to tour Beech Grove Cemetery, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and historically a place for living gatherings and honoring lives lost.
“[Beech Grove Cemetery] is a great example of the movement to create cemeteries that also served as parks — cemeteries designed for both the living and the dead,” King says. “It was also common to host public gatherings like political rallies and holiday observances at Beech Grove. Victorians used cemeteries for recreation; having picnics, for example, was common.”
The entry gate, built in 1904, is an example of Gothic design and features a triple-arched stone gateway.
Beech Grove Cemetery, located on the banks of the White River, remains committed to being one of the finest examples of landscape architecture in the state.
The cemetery includes a pioneer section, an ornate Gas Boom section and thousands of military burials. Veterans from every war from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War are buried there.
According to the Beech Grove Cemetery website, “the rich and poor, famous and ordinary, and those whose dreams were fulfilled or shattered with war, all lay side by side here.”
Famous industrialists, the Kitselman brothers, are buried on the property. The Kitselman brothers led manufacturing growth during the Gas Boom era in Muncie.
“You can walk down ‘Mausoleum Row’ and see how these monuments were the industrialists’ final way to display their wealth and power to the community,” King says.
Frank Clayton Ball and his brothers, who founded the Ball Corporation, have family mausoleums by the cemetery entrance. There are 17 historic mausoleums on the grounds.
American lawyer Ben Cohen is interred at the cemetery. As a member of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration, Cohen helped write FDR’s New Deal and start what became the United Nations.
“The cemetery is not only within the boundaries of our neighborhood, and our largest local historic landmark, but many locally significant people, like Ben Cohen, grew up or lived right here in the Old West End,” King says. “I think it’s important for folks to see just how important our historic neighborhood has been to the development of Muncie and beyond.”
Social influencer and local celebrity Harriet Anthony, aka Diamond Heels Hattie, is interred there. Anthony became a national sensation when she wore diamond-encrusted shoes to visit Teddy Roosevelt at the White House.
Notable U.S. representatives buried at Beech Grove Cemetery include George W. Cromer and Andrew Kennedy.
King said attendees should be prepared to walk a fair distance and learn a lot about local history along the way.
“Every year is a little different,” King says. “There are so many stories to share and ground to cover, it’s impossible to take it all in one visit.”
Guided tours are approximately one mile and occur every half hour. Group tours are limited to 20 people.
Refreshments are available near the fountain as attendees await their tour departure.
General admission tickets are $12.51 via Eventbrite. Children (12 and under), accompanied by an adult, are admitted free. Tickets are available online via Eventbrite and onsite at the main gate until 6:30 p.m.
Proceeds benefit the Old West End Neighborhood and Beech Grove Cemetery, including helping the cemetery continue to work on preserving aging or damaged headstones.
Parking is available across from the main entry gate to the cemetery. The event’s rain date is Oct. 17.
A complete history of Beech Grove Cemetery is available at beechgrovecemetery.com.
Beech Grove Cemetery is located at 1400 W. Kilgore Ave. in Muncie.
