EVANSVILLE (Indiana) — What’s this for obscure local history! A pioneer cemetery lies beneath the land once home to an Evansville golf course.
Local historians are trying to find out where the remains of people are located around the former Wesselman Park Par-3 golf course. McCallister Cemetery can be found on a quiet knoll near Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve.
Since the 1960s, the tombstones of the cemetery have been missing. The cemetery survived the years, even though more of the land was carved for development.
Only a historical marker was added by the Capt. The Henry Vanderburgh Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution shows what’s there now.
A representative of the group informed the Evansville Board of Park Commissioners, however, that they are interested in undertaking work that could eventually lead to McCallister Cemetery being added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Cheri Baumberger stated to the board that “after the 2019 closing the Wesselman par-3 course, there was a concern about the safety and future of the cemetery.”
Officials claimed that the city’s municipal golf fund had been in deficit for many years before it was closed. In 2018, it dropped 11%. The city hired a consultant to determine that Evansville has more golf facilities than it needs.
Jerome Stewart, then-President of the Board, stated that golf in Evansville “would not suffer” and would continue to thrive after Wesselman Par 3 was closed. He also noted that McDonald’s is only a mile from the course.
Stewart stated that there were 12 municipal golf courses, four of which are public. Seven more are located within 20 miles.
Stewart stated, “It has been concluded probably that the closure of at minimum one golf course will be better for the other courses in the surrounding area and within our community.”
According to a consultant, future uses for the land include a modern course in golf, donating it to Wesselman Nature Preserve, or creating a passive-park — one that focuses on leisure and natural habitats rather than pools and playgrounds.
75 people signed a petition asking that Wesselman Par3 be kept open. Randy Calvert was a regular participant in the petition drive.
Calvert stated that although there are many courses in Evansville, Wesselman is the only one. It was tailored to the needs and abilities of young golfers and also offers a place where more experienced players can practice their putting.
Baumberger recently told commissioners that there could be as many as 35 graves. The group was granted permission by the commissioners to continue work on locating the graves.
Baumberger stated that the work would not be intrusive and that locations will be recorded using their GPS coordinates.
She stated that “our society’s goals of patriotism and education are being furthered by our renewed interest in McCallister family cemeteries.”
Baumberger stated that although there will be many methods used, it is not clear when the work will occur.
One of them is a Daviess County (Kentucky), search-and rescue dog that has been trained to locate cadavers. She stated that the dog had helped to locate other historical graves, including those of Civil War veterans at Parker Cemetery on Evansville’s West Side.
She said that an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Southern Indiana offered her assistance using ground-penetrating radar equipment.
Baumberger stated, “We are very excited to receive approval from the Parks Board in order to proceed with this project.”
She stated that the local chapter had been working on this project since October 2020.
She stated that she wanted to preserve the acre of land that the McCallisters had set aside for their family in perpetuity. It will not be forgotten, erased or neglected for many years to come.
The McCallister family was one of the earliest pioneer settlers in Evansville.
According to information provided by the DAR to commemorate the historical marker’s dedication, Eneas McCallister was a veteran of Revolutionary War and moved to the area in 1805 to operate a ferry across Ohio River.
Mark Wilson is a Courier & Press reporter covering education and the environment. Contact him at mark.wilson@courierpress.com. John T. Martin contributed reporting.
By: Mark Wilson
Title: Underneath a now-closed Indiana municipal golf course is a cemetery. City officials just aren’t sure where
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2022/06/15/indiana-municipal-golf-course-cemetery/
Published Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2022 15:23:35 +0000
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