Murdered Man Cemetery

A quiet Cemetery lies on top of Church House Hollow now known as Forrest Hill. But at one time in its history it was not so quiet. 

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The Murdered Man Cemetery

The Murdered Man's Cemetery  Photos taken by Joanna Sergent
The Murdered Man’s Cemetery Photos taken by Joanna Sergent

A quiet Cemetery lies on top of Church House Holler now known as Forrest Hill. But at one time in its history it was not so quiet. Like the name of the Holler, the cemetery also has two names. One is the Potter Cemetery and the other is the Murdered Man Cemetery.

There are possibly twenty-five people buried in plots in this spot that have been murdered or died in mysterious circumstances. That is how the area got its common name. However, the most famous of these plots belong to the five members of the doomed Mullins Party.   After the events of May 14 1892, the Killing Rock Massacre took place, five people were laid to rest in this quiet place. On August 22, 1892, someone used dynamite to destroy the graves of the five people who were laid to rest there.

Directions to the Murdered Man Cemetery

The Murdered Man's Cemetery  Photos taken by Joanna Sergent
The Murdered Man’s Cemetery Photos taken by Joanna Sergent

Traveling from Jenkins, Kentucky on Route 805 toward Burdine, Ky, turn right after you pass the old Dairy Bar and Car Wash onto Forrest Hill. As you top Forrest Hill you will see some very nice houses up there. Look for the one with a chained link fence with a gravel road beside of it.

There is no where to turn a car around so it is best to walk from the main road back. As you walk the road behind the fence go up the hill and though another fence you will find the cemetery. Walk a short distance past the grave shelters and you will see five gravestones there for Ira Mullins, Wilson Mullins, Louranza Mullins, Greenberry Harris and John Chappel.

Jane Mullins Belcher and Elizabeth Potter Belcher

As you look in front of those gravestones you will also find Jane Mullins who on her tombstone is named as Jane Belcher and the wrong death date is on the tombstone (placing her date of death three Months before the Killing Rock Event) lying close to them.

The Murdered Man's Cemetery  Photos taken by Joanna Sergent
The Murdered Man’s Cemetery Photos taken by Joanna Sergent

A short distance from Jane Mullins Belcher is the grave of Elizabeth Potter Belcher who also died under mysterious circumstances. Both women were married to Issac Belcher and their gravestones have a very interesting epitaph attached to them.

Jane Mullins Belcher’s epitaph reads “Faithful with her trust unto death.”. Elizabeth Potter Belcher’s epitaph reads “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord”.

For more information on Jane and who she was and the story of Elizabeth be sure to read our article: Jane and Her Identity: The Untold Story Part 1

The photographs were taken by Joanna Adams Sergent

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All photos are in the public domain unless otherwise noted. This includes photos dated before 1923. All other photos are used with permission or under the education fair use statute of the US copyright law.

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