The 52nd in the Rest 'n Peace - Centre County series begins our adventures to the NW corner of Centre County. This is an active cemetery that has seen burials over the last 160 years and still has some room to grow, yet is now nestled between the two split routes of US Route 322. This one can only be accessed from US 322 South, but there are turnarounds just about 2/3rds of a mile in either direction so getting here is not particularly difficult.
When you get to the cemetery, you will see what is actually difficult in this part of the county, and that is finding flat land! This graveyard is situated right on the SE edge of the Allegheny Plateau, and you'll notice a steep slope and a thin, rocky soil throughout, which is much more common here than in the Ridge and Valley system that in which most of Centre County resides. The 1928 Topographic map of this area shows the boundary very well, and also highlights how the steep, rocky, agriculture-resistant terrain saw few settlers moving in.
As you meander up the hill, take note how the older burials here are densely concentrated among a small number of surnames. Only a few brave families moved here, and life was rough, but they chose a serene, peaceful place in one of the few wider valleys for their final resting spot.
As with any cemetery cache, please be respectful when visiting, and please be careful of the loose gravel on the top of the slope. There is an old abandoned road at the cemetery's crest and if you are on it, you've gone too far.