Located in the once thriving hamlet of Petherton, the Baptist cemetery is said to have been built around 1860. This cemetery can be found on highway 6 between Arthur and Kenilworth. The cemetery once stood beside the Petherton Baptist Church but after a new church was built in Kenilworth, it was taken down. For those unfamiliar with the term 'Baptist', it refers to a major branch of Protestantism within the Christian faith, whose notable difference is that they only baptize those who profess themselves to be Christian believers.
The cemetery was overtaken by the elements, but along with the Township of Arthur, was restored by the decedents of the very pioneers who were laid there to rest. During the restoration, many of the headstones were recovered. To permanently preserve the fragile headstones, they were set in a cairn. A cairn is a stone monument, typically used to mark a grave site. In this case, mounting the recovered headstones on a cairn was a less tedious method of restoration and will likely preserve them for much longer.
The Petherton Pioneer Baptist Cemetery is what is known as an 'inactive' cemetery, meaning they are no longer taking new burials. The definition of a pioneer cemetery is a bit murky but can be used to describe a cemetery or graveyard that was created by settlers (typically during or before the 1800's) or one that has not had a burial in approximately a century or more. Additionally, it can refer to a very old cemetery or graveyard that has been abandoned, much like the Petherton Pioneer Baptist Cemetery was. There are many of these pioneer cemeteries tucked away on side roads and even main highways. Some so small, that if you blink, you'd miss it.
There are twenty-three monuments documented including one of the oldest residents born in 1794. A number of the oldest headstones are from settlers from England and Scotland. As for the headstone style, they are typical for the time range in which the headstones are dated and are made of marble. For those new to headstone style and composition, the next blog post will cover this topic thoroughly along with how to spot the difference for yourself. There is also a large monument in the middle of the cemetery yard, in front of the cairn. It belongs to the Edwards family and looks to be newer than its counterparts. It's not uncommon to see decedents of family members replace old and deteriorating stones and that could be what has happened here.
