Allen's Creek Cemetery - Old

Polk Township - Section 20

*See article below

If you search for Allens Creek Cemetery, you may become confused because three cemeteries near this small Polk Township community of Allens Creek go by that name. There is the Old Allens Creek Cemetery, the New Allens Creek Cemetery, and the Allens Creek Cemetery (neither old or new but actually the newest of the three). Allens Creek Old Cemetery is now almost completely overgrown by trees and other vegetation on the south side of Allens Creek Road about 50 yards west of the intersection of Allens Creek and Roberts roads. Only one stone, which is separately fenced, is clearly visible from the road. But a number of mostly toppled or leaning stones become visible upon entering the woods. County Cemeteries of Monroe lists 27 burials in the cemetery. The oldest death date is 1843 and the newest is 1920. Most of the death dates are from the latter half of the 1800s. Two of the burials are veterans: King A. Deckard from the Civil War (the fenced burial) and Stephen Deckard from either the Mexican War or the Civil War. Allens Creek New Cemetery is on the west side of Roberts Road about 100 yards south of its intersection with Allens Creek Road. It is well maintained, although some of the older stones are difficult to read due to lichens on the surface. County Cemeteries of Monroe lists 80 burials, but this does not include several more recent graves. The oldest death date is 1874. The cemetery is still active, with death dates as recent as 2011. At least six of the burials are indicated as veterans. The most recent and largest (over 250 burials) of the three, Allens Creek Cemetery is more properly called the Polk Township Cemetery, although the sign at the entrance proclaims it as Allens Creek Cemetery. It was established at the time of the construction of Lake Monroe to contain burials from cemeteries covered by the lake. (See the article by Lee Ehman in the August 2010 issue of the Monroe County Historian for details about this project.) Remains were removed from eight cemeteries (Blackwell, Cutright, Fox, Goodman, Hughes, Mitchell, Shields, and Walcott) and reinterred here. Many of the burials are unidentified and marked by simple ground level stones with only a number. But many have the original stones, including an elaborately carved tree stump. Thirteen of the burials are veterans. In addition to the old burials, the cemetery contains recent burials and is still active. The cemetery is on the north side of Allens Creek Road about a mile east of the other Allens Creek cemeteries. - Allens Creek: A Tale of Three Cemeteries By Bob Dodd  - Monroe County Historian, Feb/Mar & Apr/May 2013, Page 12