St. Francis de Sales Cemetery

St. Francis de Sales Cemetery, Scott County

Located across the road from St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, St. Francis Cemetery dates back
to the 1790's.

The lady pictured here and her husband, now deceased, moved into a house beside St. Francis Church in 1971.  At that time,
no one knew there was a cemetery in this location.  The land was so overgrown with brush and trees that the graves
and tombstones were not visible.  One day, the farmer discovered some old tombstones and told his wife about them.
The couple decided to clean up and care for the long-forgotten cemetery.  Together, they worked weekends for years
clearing brush and fallen trees and uncovering tombstones and graves.  A true labor of love.

In recent years, new graves have been added to the historic cemetery.

Many of the old graves are those Irish immigrants.

At least one Revolutionary War soldier is buried here.

A number of German immigrants are also buried here.

In recent years, several St. Francis parishioners have worked to mend the
many broken tombstones in the cemetery.

The original rock wall along the front of the cemetery has been restored and a
fence placed around the remainder of the property.

The Scott County Historical Society and the Scott County History Museum recently sponsored a cemetery tour, and
St. Francis was one of their stops.