The History of Local Cemeteries
Why are old cemeteries often found next to one-room schools?
One-room schools were the heart of the rural community in which they were located. The schoolhouse was not only used for teaching “reading, writing, and arithmetic” to farm children, it was also used for community gatherings and sometimes for Sunday Church services.
Because these buildings “belonged” to everyone in the district, it made sense that cemeteries would be established nearby.
Many of the headstones in the cemetery next to Strong School came from the old St. John Evangelical German Lutheran Church once located on YZ Avenue. When the land was sold, the remaining headstones were donated to Vicksburg Historical Society by Brady Township.
The Historic Village has a small cemetery showing how they looked back in time.
