Here's
a summary history of Fletcher's Cemeteries from Scott Trostle, resident of
Fletcher.
FLETCHER
CEMETERIES
Since its founding, Fletcher has had three recorded
cemeteries. The first was at the site of the old Methodist church at Main and
Church Streets. As we read on, the interred were moved to the public cemetery in
1901, to make way for a church expansion.
The second cemetery, though inactive, remains cared
for today. It is the Presbyterian cemetery on the east side of the old
Presbyterian church on Downing Street at the covered bridge. This cemetery date
is not established, but appears to have been active sometime between 1845 and
1870. Many pioneers of Fletcher and Brown Township are buried there.
When the church was closed the cemetery fell into a
state of decline until about 1995, when the Fletcher Cemetery Association took
over maintenance.
The third cemetery is the present Fletcher Cemetery
Association at the North end of Walnut Street, established in 1861.
There may be found soldiers from almost every war.
The famous, such as Albert B. Graham, founder of 4-H Clubs and the common people
are buried there.
There are several skillfully carved monuments in
the cemetery including the famous Duncan chair, one of five monuments on the
Duncan burial site and the monument stones by George Washington Wampler. Wampler
was a stone carver from Piqua Granite Company, a leading producer of monuments
in the United States. Wampler carved the Welgamood log cabin and the three
accompanying head stones at the burial site. Two of his carved and very sedate
tree trunks also rest in the cemetery. No two were ever alike. One has a dove
resting in the top to look after the Carmony children. A similar tree trunk with
broken branches and ferns, but lacking the dove protects a Hill family site.
Wampler carved six stones in his tree theme for this site.
To be found elsewhere in the cemetery are the
graves of Monger children, with small white stones. The symbolic military white
stones mark the sites of many Civil war veterans who went to war from Brown
Township.
After the mechanization of cemetery maintenance,
size of stones was limited. The artful era of stone carving is no longer visible
with almost all new stones coming into the cemetery. In the newer sections
today, the stones are mainly polished rectangular, with sandblasted lettering to
commemorate the deceased's final resting place.