Fishers in Hamilton County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Grave Robbing Scandal
Photographed by Tom Bosse, November 20, 2022
1. Grave Robbing Scandal Marker (Front)
By the early 1900s, Indianapolis was home to multiple medical education institutions which required corpses for dissection-based learning. Extant laws failed to provide enough bodies for this use, generating a lucrative black market. In 1902, Indianapolis resident Rufus Cantrell was arrested and charged with grave robbing, starting a widely publicized scandal.
Cantrell implicated local farmer Hampton West, Indianapolis physician Dr. Joseph Alexander, and many others in a far-reaching grave robbing syndicate. A Hamilton County jury convicted West of robbing a grave in a cemetery near here. In 1903, the Indiana General Assembly created the State Anatomical Board to oversee the distribution of cadavers to medical schools.
Erected 2022 by Indiana Historical Bureau, Friends of the Fishers Historical Society, The Historic Ambassador House, and Fall Creek Township. (Marker Number 29.2022.1.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Industry & Commerce • Law Enforcement • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Indiana Historical
this page online
Location. 39° 57.412′ N, 85° 56.552′ W. Marker is in Fishers, Indiana, in Hamilton County. It is on Brooks School Road just east of East 116th Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11595 Brooks School Rd, Fishers IN 46037, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Indiana and specifically in Greater Indianapolis. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Conner House was never just bricks, glass and wood (approx. 5.1 miles away); Ambassador House (approx. 6.6 miles away); Conner Street Historic District (approx. 7 miles away); Return of the Natives (approx. 7.1 miles away); Craig House (approx. 7.1
Photographed by Tom Bosse, November 20, 2022
2. Grave Robbing Scandal Marker (Back)
Photographed by Tom Bosse, November 20, 2022
3. Grave Robbing Scandal Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on November 26, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2022, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 639 times since then and 53 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 21, 2022, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
