What was once believed to be a solitary grave in the middle of the road, ended up being a family cemetery.

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An Unassuming Road

If you were driving down County Road East 400 South near Amity, Indiana you'd spot something that looked like a regular median.  Sure the median looks a bit out of place on this stretch of road, but when you look closer, it's even more bizarre than just being a median.  It's a grave.  Well actually, it's a few graves, right in the middle of the road.

The Indiana Grave in the Middle of the Road

A close look at the median in the road, and you'll notice a small plaque that is a grave marker for Nancy Barnett.  According to Atlas Obscura Nancy was born in 1793, it is said there was a spot where she loved to sit and overlook a nearby creek.  When Nancy passed away in 1831 her family decided to have Nancy buried in her favorite spot. Years later a road was set to be built over that spot, but her family insisted she not be moved.   So to respect the family's wishes the road was built around the grave.

One Grave Turns Into an Entire Family Cemetery

This is where the story gets very interesting.  For years it was believed that this road was built around one grave.   However, in 2016 there were plans to widen the road and lower the grave to help prevent further damage to it.  When they were in the process of this, they found that Nancy wasn't the only person buried in this spot.  They found a total of 7 people buried here.  Now this spot is known as the Barnett Cemetery.

While the plaque on the actual grave has only Nancy's name, there has since been a historical marker placed near the grave with information on the Barnett Cemetery.

The marker on the side of the road reads:

This site was originally the burial place for Nancy Kerlin Barnett (1793-1854).  She asked to be buried overlooking Sugar Creek, which according to family legend was h er favorite spot.  In the early 1900s, the county wished to build a gravel road and bridge in the area, but her family protected her grave to honor her final wish.  As a compromise, the county eventually built a road around the grave.  In 2016 archaeologists investigating the site, after farm machinery impacted it, discovered six additional remains.  After work to widen the road, the remains were re-interred here below road level.

Original marker on display at Johnson County Museum.