DUANE SHERRILLEditor

A long-lost cemetery dating back to the American Civil War has been rediscovered and reclaimed in Coffee County thanks to the work of United Daughters of the Confederacy.

On Sunday, December 7^th, the Calvin C. Brewer Chapter of the UDC held a dedication ceremony at the long-lost Reynolds Cemetery in Hillsboro culminating months of hard work to reclaim the cemetery from Mother Nature.

The Chapter, led by Connie Janosek, President, found the location on April 6, 2025. The cemetery, also known as the Fetzer-Layne-Craven Cemetery, was completely engulfed in vegetation from years of lack of care. There was no way to even access the area.

Connie returned with her family, on May 6 and located the grave of Captain Calvin C. Brewer, which is the Civil War soldier that the Chapter is named after.

There are 14 graves in total, the oldest dating back to 1849. Among the graves are several small crypts where infants and children were buried. 

Connie started clean up on May 17 with the help of her family and Chapter members. More clean ups were needed and the group returned again in June, July and August.  Then, members of the Sons of the Confederacy along with Sheriff Chad Partin, brought in equipment and trustees to help clean the location.

Returning again on November 15, the members cleaned the headstones, used a bush hog to help with more cleaning. They also cleaned, sanded, repainted and repaired a rusty old light pole from Manchester that was there and is now used as a flag pole for the site.

After the Chapter celebrated their 40^th Anniversary, a ceremony was held at the cemetery to remember those buried there and to officially re-dedicate the cemetery that was long ago forgotten.