The graves on the hill

Iowa · United States · Cemetery

Up a gravel road to a derelict white house. Off to the left, pushed back into the trees, there is a small graveyard.

Out in the country near Laurens, Iowa a gravel road climbs a hill. At the top there is an old white house, abandoned and falling in.

To the left, set back into a stand of trees, there is a small cemetery.

Nobody has been buried in it for many years, and what you notice on walking in is the size of the stones.

Burial grounds of this kind exist across the rural midwest and they record something specific. Before the twentieth century a great many children did not survive their first years, families buried them on their own land, and a farm plot could hold half a dozen small graves from one household.

What is reported here follows from that and does not need repeating.

The site is on private land, the house is dangerous, and the graves are graves.

FAQ

Where is The graves on the hill located?

The graves on the hill is in Iowa, United States.