The Porter-Rea Cemetery dates back to 1845 but wasn't officially created until September 6, 1854 when the property owner, Samuel Gard, deeded the land to trustees for a neighborhood burial ground. It is believed that the name became more commonly known as Porter- Rea because both the Porter and Rea families owned land adjacent to the site and have family buried there.
When the land was purchased for Potato Creek State Park in the 1970s, it was decided to not purchase the cemetery. Although the cemetery is enclosed in Potato Creek State Park, it remains an active independent cemetery and is cared for by the Porter Cemetery Association and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
The first person to be laid to rest in the cemetery was 9 year old Emma Porter on September 13, 1845. Nearby, you will see what appear to be field stones set in a row. These are the gravesites of Quakers that settled in the area. They did not believe in having a monument of oneself so they did not have markers with their information. Thankfully, the stones are there to at least mark their final resting place.
Free African American settlers from the Huggart Settlement are buried here alongside their white neighbors. The Porter Cemetery Association was formed in May of 1884 with both African-American and white charter members. This cemetery did not belong to one church and served as a community burial ground.
Recently, I hid a cache to mark the Huggart Settlement and its historical marker along State Rd 4. I wrote about Samuel and Andrew Huggart, who were the first African American family to settle in St. Joseph County. The Huggart’s are buried just feet from Emma Porter, her parents and the Quakers. Also of note, in the cemetery, are other early African-American settlers to our county. They are the Manuel, Boone and Bass family's.
The cache is hidden near the gravesites of the Huggart’s. Take a rest on a nearby stump in the shade of the Evergreen. In view from this location you will see the Huggart Family, Emma Porter’s headstone, which appears to have been a victim to vandalism as it is broken, and the row of the Quaker’s stones. Further to the east you will see the names of the Boone, Bass and Manuel family’s.
This is a really beautiful and peaceful place to visit and explore.
Please be respectful of the area and BEWARE the muggles. This cemetery gets a lot of visitors to the nearby pier, trails and the cemetery itself.
Please be sure to put the container back the way that you found it!
There is a pen in the container with some fun stuff to trade.
The First To Find wins a $2.00 bill!!
Congrats to Kerrytherat & GeoGerry36 for being FTF!