Name: Thomas and Roberts Family Cemetery (aka Little Africa Cemetery aka Patty's Garden)
Active: No
Location: About 2 miles back in the Hoosier National Forest outside the town of Pine Valley in Orange County IN. Instead of attempting to describe the route to the cemetery, I will instead provide this link: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hoosier/recreation/lick_crk.htm . I used their directions and found the cemetery without a problem. I recommend taking the "Grease Gravy Road" (hell of a name!) entrance as it will cut down on your walking time. Also, be sure to follow the "blue" trail. If you venture off onto the "orange" trail, you'll bypass the cemetery. This a several mile hike. The trails do not allow motorized vehicles, however you can ride a bike or a horse on the trails, granted you have paid for a tag. A compass and plenty of water is recommended.
Info: There's a lot of history about this cemetery and area. This cemetery was part of a settlement used back in the 1800s for the underground railroad. Here are some insightful links about the history of the place: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hoosier/docs/history/lick_creek.htm & http://www.paolichamber.org/history.html . The cemetery is in DESPERATE need of restoration.
Satellite Photo:
Click on the thumbnails for a larger picture:
Download a 4 minute video tour in WMV format: DOWNLOAD.
I want to apologize for the low level of light in the video. By the time I
got do the video recording, it was starting to get dark out. My mini-dv
does not have an external light source (has an internal, but makes the video
appear in a strobe like fashion). I plan on redoing the video next time I
go out there.
Burial information located here: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/in/county/orange/lcsettlement.htm