Near Mammoth Cave in Edmonson County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
Locust Grove Cemetery
The cemeteries yield many clues about the lives of the people who dwelt here. The names of the people, of course, speak of kinship, and a stone on which the birth and death date are the same speaks of family tragedy, and the perils of childbearing in the early years of the 20th century.
Close by once stood the Locust Grove Methodist Episcopalian Church. Only its cemetery now remains. Its name may echo the religious traditions of the region’s early settlers, when traveling preachers known as “circuit riders” would meet believers in outdoor groves for “brush arbor meetings” when no church was available.
Perhaps another tradition speaks like the voice of those who have lived here and gone: the pure white flower of the locust tree is said to represent affection – from beyond the grave.
Area congregations still use the thorny branches of the locust tree to make “crowns of thorns” for religious displays.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Churches & Religion • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 37° 8.058′ N, 86° 4.184′ W. Marker is near Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, in Edmonson County. Marker can be reached from Mammoth Cave Parkway (Kentucky Route 70) ¼ mile west of Kentucky Route 255. Marker is within Mammoth Cave National park, along the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail. This 9-mile bicycle and hiking recreational trail follows the old Mammoth Cave Railroad bed. The marker and cemetery are accessible from a small parking lot on the east side of Mammoth Cave Parkway (state route 70). Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mammoth Cave KY 42259, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Union City: Cave Crossroads (approx. ¼ mile away); Hearth and Home (approx. 0.3 miles away); Diamond Caverns (approx. 1.3 miles away); a different marker also named Diamond Caverns (approx. 1.3 miles away); The Forest Returns (approx. 1½ miles away); Sand Cave (approx. 1.8 miles away); Mammoth Cave Railroad Bike & Hike Trail (approx. 1.9 miles away); The Trestle and the Highway (approx. 2.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mammoth Cave.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. The Mammoth Cave Railroad (1886-1931)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 18, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 1, 2014, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 603 times since then and 104 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 1, 2014, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Al Wolf was the editor who published this page.