There were many burial places in Fall Creek Township used by the first settlers, according to “History of Madison County” by John L. Forkner, published in 1914.

It is recorded that the first deaths in the township were those of a Mr. and Mrs. Martin. It is said they were buried in one grave near a large oak tree in the western part of the town of Pendleton.

The old section of Grovelawn Cemetery is one of the largest burial grounds of early settlers in Madison County.

This section is better known as Old Falls Cemetery or Pendleton Cemetery. It’s located on the east side of Pendleton Avenue.

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Since Pendleton and the surrounding lands were the first in Madison County to be inhabited, Old Falls Cemetery is the resting place for many of the county’s first families.

Samuel Irish donated a tract of ground for burial purposes, and the Falls Cemetery Association was organized on Dec. 16, 1864.

The cemetery established by this association was immediately south of the old Falls graveyard on the tract donated by Irish, on the northeast corner of the southwest quarter of Section 16.

The Grovelawn Cemetery Co. was incorporated on July 25, 1902, with common and preferred stock sold to raise $22,500 in capital.

Soon after incorporation, the company purchased 57 acres of land immediately across the road — what was called Anderson Pike, now known as Pendleton Avenue — from the old Falls cemetery.

At that time, an agreement was made with owners of lots in the old Falls cemetery that there would no further lots for sale in the old Falls cemetery.

These old cemetery grounds composed about eight acres of land. Altogether there were 65 acres under the ownership and care of Grovelawn Cemetery Co.

At that time, it was said the needs of the community for burial purposes had been amply provided for for more than 100 years.

The tombstones in the Falls cemetery section are showing their age.

The stone for Ann Jane Irish is one of the oldest legible stones.

She died Dec. 23, 1834; it is possible she was the wife of Samuel Irish who did lose a wife in that year.

There is one for S. D. Irish, which could be Samuel’s. Samuel Irish had brothers named William and James.

With the passage of time, the stones are becoming more difficult, if not impossible, to read. Some have suffered severe damage.

If you want to stroll through history, you should do it before it fades away.

Noel is president of the Pendleton Historical Museum board.