Old Settlers Cemetery

The Old Settlers Cemetery, an early historic cemetery, is located on top of the Oakville Copena Mound; therefore, the burial mound served a dual purpose for Indian and settler burials. The earliest graves in the cemetery are dated 1819. Large limestone crypts mark the graves and offer clues to the first frontiersmen that inhabited the area. Many of the decedents can be traced to Cherokee Indian Chief Doublehead’s clan through interracial marriage. The method of burial included placing field stones and rocks on top of the bodies to prevent wild animals from digging up the graves. The false stone crypts were cut using hand-held star drills. The corners of some have metal links fastened in corner holes. The capstone held the clips in place.