Cemetery
In June of 1888, the Confederate Monument was dedicated, presided over by Dr. John A. Lewis. The Ladies Monument Association had gathered from the county and from the old city cemetery eighteen bodies, two of whom had been ordered shot by the military commander of Kentucky, General Stephen Burbridge. This dedicatory service was preceded by a parade as had never been seen here before, attracting a crowd of thousands from throughout the state.
Confederate Monument –Sect. N
Another landmark event was the erection of the beautiful stone chapel and residence in 1927. With that construction, we associate the names of Rhodes Thomas, Horace Grover and Eugene Rucker who were members of the board at that time. The contractor was Tilman Kemper, father of Georgetonian, Mary Frye.
On March 7, 1850 the Georgetown Cemetery was incorporated by the following citizens: Messrs. Manilus V. Thompson, William B. Keene, J.F. Robinson, J.R. Ward, D.G. Hatch, J.T. Pratt, F.E. Farnam, B.F. Payne, P. L. Mitchell, J. Thomson, Alvin Duvall, T.C. Kelley, James M. Frost, James H. Daviess, D. Howard Smith, John Wallace Keene, D. M. Runyon, R. M. Ewing and J. T. Craig. Among these names, we find many community leaders of that day who saw the need for this cemetery and took it upon themselves to undertake such a project.
A committee was appointed from this group to solicit funds and select a site. It was not until December 5, 1859 that nine of the original incorporators met to accept the report of this committee and to confirm the purchase of the proposed site. The committee had raised $4,300 and were authorized to purchase thirty acres from R. H. Haggard, giving their note for the balance of the money. They paid $200/acre for the land. The original incorporators then appointed the following seven men to serve as trustees: Messrs. Harvey C. Graves, John F. Warren, John G. Morrison, Beri C. Glass , Marellus Polk, F. C. McCalla and James F. Robinson. Of these men, John F. Warren was elected president, Beri C. Glass was directed to collect subscriptions, J.Fl Robson was appointed to see that the charter was properly amended and Marcellus Polk was to correspond with other cemeteries for informatin on regulations, price of lits, etc.
The first lot was sold to Harvey C. Graves. The first superintendent of this cemetery was Thomas Breen, followed by James Anderson, Charles Olderog, Pat Henry, Alex Hassloch, Robert Acke, Frank Trimble, Hargis Congleton and Donald Lynn. The current superintendent is Mr. Gene Cook.
Gov. Joseph Deshe and Wife-Sect. L
Askew & Carrick Monuments-Sect. D
Also buried in the cemetery are James E. Cantrill, Lt. Gov. and the father of the Hon. James C. Cantrill, Judge James F. Askew, Scott County’s representative to the 1891 Constitutional Convention. Federal Judges H. Church Ford and John Wm. Showalter are in the cemetery. The World Chess Champion, Jackson Showalter is buried here as well as two famous artists: the landscape artist, Will Hunleigh and one of the world’s most famous equine artists, Edward Troye.
Artist, Edward Troye-Sect. Little C
A bit of royalty can be found in the cemetery, Countess Elizabeth Magoffin Garnett and her husband, Capt. William Peter Garnett, Earl of Egglescliffe of Green Park castle, Meath County, Ireland. She was descended from Issac Shelby, the first governor of Kentucky and a great niece of Henry Clay and of George Rogers Clark.
There are a number of distinquished educators buried here. To mention a few are Thornton Fitzhugh Johnson, J.J. Rucker, Dr. A. L. Rhoton, Danforth Thomas, Dr. R.M. Dudley, J. E. Farnam and J. W. Lancaster.
Georgetown Cemetery-Broadway Entrance Georgetown, Kentucky
Originally written by C.A. Mifflin, President Of the Georgetown Cemetery Board. Edited in 2009 by the Georgetown/Scott County Chamber of Commerce
The Tent Girl-Section W-4
On May 17, 1968, Wilbur Riddle discovered the body of a young woman wrapped and tied in a canvas bag 13 miles north of Georgetown. The body was taken to Lexington for an autopsy. Her identity was not discovered despite a thorough investigation. She was dubbed the “Tent Girl” by a reporter with the Kentucky Post & Times Star. The young woman remained unidentified for a further 29 years. She was buried in a county-owned section of the Georgetown Cemetery with a gravestone that simply said “Tent Girl”. On March 1998, her body was exhumed and through DNA, it was determined that her name was Barbara Hackmann Taylor. Her headstone was later engraved with her true name. Barbara’s manner of death was never solved.
Babyland is a section of the Georgetown cemetery, where babies and young children are buried. Babyland is located on the south side of the cemetery and the oldest grave is dated 1949.
A very special event in the history of the cemetery was the opening of the Hamilton St. entrance on November 1, 1949. The wrought iron gate and limestone columns were a gift of Mrs. James F. Askew, a longtime supporter of the cemetery.
The Georgetown Cemetery is the final resting place for many persons who gained fame while on this earth. Three governors’ graves are located here: Gov. James F. Robinson, Gov. Joseph Desha and Confederate Gov. George Johnson who was killed at Shiloh in the Civil War. Also, the Hon. James C. Cantrill, the Democratic nominee for Governor, died shortly before the general election. He had served in Congress as had the Hon. W.C. Owens and the Hon. A.P. Grover.
Confederate Gov. George Johnson-Sect. F
Congressman James C. Cantrill-Sect. H
Among the physicians in the Georgetown Cemetery are Dr. William L. Sutton who organized the Kentucky State Medical Society and was its first president. He was also the author of Kentucky’s Vital Statistics Law. Dr. John A. Lewis was the Adjutant of the Kentucky Ninth Calvary and later became president of the Morgan’s Men’s Association. Also, there are Drs. E.C. Barlow, Paul Rankins, F.F. Bryan, J.C. Thomasson, W. H. Coffman, David Knox, John E. Pack, B. C. Keene, John A. Hamilton and more recently H. G. Wells, L. F. Heath, A. F. Smith, W. S. Allphin and C. Lewis.
Dr. John A. Lewis-Sect. Lower B
The bodies of veterans of nine wars lie buried in this sacred place and each Memorial Day the VF.W. and the American Legion pay tribute to them with an appropriate service at the grave sites.
Veteran’s Memorial-Sect. F