The Little Pigeon Cemetery / The Little Pigeon Church

The Little Pigeon Cemetery, also, The Little Pigeon Church. . , The Little Pigeon Cemetery, The Little Pigeon Cemetery is the final resting place for many of the settlement's earliest residents.

The cemetery was marked off in 1825, shortly after the church was established. It contains the first families of the Little Pigeon Creek Settlement, and their descendents. Many graves remain unmarked.

Abraham Lincoln served as the church sexton. The sexton's duties included taking care of the church property, ringing the bell for services and digging graves.

Abraham Lincoln was extremely fond of his older sister, who had cared for him after their mother died.

(Abraham) was out in our little smoke house at our house doing a little carpenter work when Aaron, Sarah's husband, came running up from his house a quarter of a mile away and said that Sarah had just died. We went out and told Abe. I never will forget that scene. He sat down in the door of the smoke house and buried his face in his hands. The tears slowly trickled form between his bony fingers and his gaunt frame shook with sobs. We turned away.
Account of Sarah Lincoln's death

Sarah Lincoln Grigsby 1807 - 1828
Among the older graves is the grave of Sarah Lincoln Grigsby, Abraham's sister. Sarah was married in 1826. She died during childbirth 18 months later. She was buried with her child in her arms. Her husband, Aaron, remarried in 1830, but died the following year. He is buried next to Sarah.

Sarah's grave was marked with a slab of sandstone bearing her initials. It was replaced in 1914 with the cement headstone.

Those buried here worked, laughed and loved. Their passing brought sorrow to many. Please respect those who lie here and their descendants.

, The Little Pigeon Church, One of the first tasks after building a cabin and barn was constructing the community church. The church was a place for worship and community gatherings.

The current building is the third church at the site.

A nearby spring determined the location for the Little Pigeon Church.

1. The first church was founded in 1816. It is described as "30 feet by 24 feet of hewn logs". Thomas Lincoln, a cabinetmaker, built the church's cabinets and pulpit, and installed the window casings. A sandstone foundation stone from the original church rests against the current church.

2. The second church was built in 1875.

3. The current church was built in 1948. It is still a place of worship under the care of local residents. Please respect the privacy of the congregation.

The Gentry Store to Troy Road
The trail crossing the church drive is a road that once ran from James Gentry's store to Troy, Indiana. Troy was the center of trade on the Ohio River and the location of a ferry crossing into Kentucky. The road ran past the store, the church and the Noah Gordon mill, all important points in the Little Pigeon Creek Settlement. Travel on this road was primarily on foot. Today several pieces of this early-1800s road are part of the park's trail system.

The Little Pigeon church remains a privately managed house of worship.