Thought you might find this of interest. Madison, IN May 28, 1941, News-Dispatch, Michigan City, IN Begin Removal of 1,700 in Cemeteries The task of digging up 1,700 corpses, moving them and then burying them again, all in six weeks, is under way. The Jefferson County Re-Interment Assn. took up the job yesterday at the army's 60,000 acre Jefferson ordnance proving ground north of here. The association has a$106,425 contract to remove the bodies from seven cemeteries inside the area.

This kind of thing was normal procedure in the 1940's. Here's what I have found out about this area. It's under Monroe Township in Jefferson County, Indiana Genealogical Society Cemetery Project. The federal government took all the land west of US421 in this township for Jefferson Proving Grounds in 1940-41. Some 3,500 graves were moved to other locations by 7 July 1941. Most were moved to land just south of Fairmont Cemetery in Madison. Locations are given for the original cemetery in this township. Cemeteries that were moved to Jennings County are Bethel, Ronnie Heacock, and Otter Creek. Cemeteries that were moved to Ripley County are Boswell, Mitchell Brown, John Cole, Custer, Hallett, Hannah, Harrell, Jas. Harrell, Huelson-Grinstead, Little Arlington, Liberty Church, Mathews, Clara Matz, Meesberger, Ray, Rice, Robertson, Sheppard, Wilson, and Wilson-Shonk. It is not known if these cemeteries were originally in Jefferson, Jennings, or Ripley County. FAIRMONT S26 T4N R10E 38°45'27"N 85°23'04"W From SR56, go north on Michigan Road. Or, from SR62, go south on Michigan Road. This cemetery is east of Michigan Road and south of State Street. Many cemeteries were moved from Jefferson Proving Grounds to the area south of this cemetery and the water tower. Sharon Howell > Madison, IN May 28, 1941, News-Dispatch, Michigan City, IN > Begin Removal of 1,700 in Cemeteries > The task of digging up 1,700 corpses, moving them and then burying them > again, all in six weeks, is under way. > The Jefferson County Re-Interment Assn. took up the job yesterday at the > army's 60,000 acre Jefferson ordnance proving ground north of here. The > association has a$106,425 contract to remove the bodies from seven > cemeteries inside the area. > >