Hill Grove Cemetery, Edmonson County, KY

On April 3-4, 2006, Karen and I visited Mammoth Cave National Park and documented cemeteries in the park and the surrounding area. Hill Grove Cemetery, which lies north of the park, is striking for the way it has preserved and elaborated an old regional tradition of decorating graves with fresh-water mussel shells from local rivers.  This cemetery has been described at length, based on extensive interviews, in Karen V. Heege, “’They’re Pretty, But They’re Work’: Shell-Decorated Graves as Community Art.” Folklore Forum, vol. 29, no. 1 (1998), pp. 65-98.

View of Hill Grove Church 4-3-06

Photo by Karen Singer Jabbour

View of Hill Grove Cemetery 4-3-06

Photo by Karen Singer Jabbour

View along Ridge of Hill Grove Cemetery 4-3-06

Photo by Karen Singer Jabbour

Kersey Grave 4-3-06

Photo by Karen Singer Jabbour

Sanders Graves 4-3-06

Photo by Karen Singer Jabbour

Constant Graves 4-3-06

Photo by Karen Singer Jabbour

Highbaugh Grave with White Gravel and Conch Shells 4-3-06

Photo by Karen Singer Jabbour