Solomon Valley Chronicles

The small town of Gettysburg was a little less than four miles west of present-day Hill City, north of what is now U.S. Highway 24. It was believed to have consisted of approximately 31 structures. Pieces of glass can still be found at the old town-site. Gettysburg Cemetery was a little further west and north of the town.

The following information regarding Gettysburg Cemetery was provided by Contributor #30 who cautions readers these are merely items published in Graham County newspapers, regarding the Gettysburg Cemetery and burials which may have occurred there. It is not certain all were buried there. While some specifically state interment was in Gettysburg Cemetery, others simply say "brought to town" for burial so it is relatively certain those burials were in the cemetery. Some do not mention the burial location at all. Those may have included "home burials", other local cemeteries or even removal via the rail line at WaKeeney for burial elsewhere.

It does not appear the graves were relocated once the town and cemetery were abandoned. It is possible the W. H. Griffin in Hill City Cemetery is the William Griffin listed below. None of the other names are known to be buried in existing cemeteries. In all likelihood, the remains are still there, beneath the sod, unmarked and long forgotten. Here we attempt to remember and honor those souls.

We are requested to say there will be a meeting held at Gettysburg on Tuesday, September 9, for the purpose of organizing a cemetery association. Now that we have had one death in our midst, we hope the people will become aroused to the importance of having a permanent resting place for the dead.

[Source: Gettysburg Lever (Gettysburg, Kansas), 4 September 1879.]

THE CEMETERY MEETING
A meeting of the people of Gettysburg and vicinity was held last Tuesday afternoon, for the purpose of appointing a committee to select and condemn ground for a cemetery.
W. B. Hunter was elected chairman.
After the chairman had stated the object of the meeting Asa Jones made a motion, which was seconded that Messrs. Burch, Bowers, Phelps, Grubb, and Eddy be the committee to select and condemn grounds for the cemetery. They were appointed without opposition.
A motion was then made and carried that the meeting adjourn to meet again next Tuesday, September 16, at 3 o'clock p.m., at Mr. Bowers' shop, to hear report of the committee.


[Source: Graham County Lever (Gettysburg, Kansas), 11 September 1879.]

Report of Cemetery Committee.
The committee appointed at the meeting last week to select a suitable site for the location of a cemetery, after examining several tracts of land have selected as the most eligible for that purpose ten acres lying northwest of town, as will be seen by the following report of the committee:
To the Citizens of Gettysburg: We, the undersigned, a committee appointed at a meeting of the people of Gettysburg to select suitable grounds for a cemetery, do hereby report that the ground included within the following boundaries, namely, commencing at a point 120 rods west of the northwest corner of the southwest quarter of section 8, township 8, range 23; running thence south 12 1/2 chains to a slope; thence west 8 chains to a stone; thence north 12 ½ chains to a stone; thence east to the place of the beginning - containing ten acres-appears to us, after careful investigation, to be the most suitable and at the same time the most available site for a cemetery, and we so report.
Respectfully submitted,
Lucien C. Eddy,
F. E. Bowers,
C. H. Grubb,
C. M. Phelps,
Grubb, Committee.

The committee will meet again at some future time to appraise and condemn the land and take such other legal steps necessary to secure a title to the land.

Note: The measurements are
120 rods = 1980 feet
12.5 chains = 825 feet
8 chains = 528 feet

[Source: Gettysburg Lever (Gettysburg, Kansas), 18 September 1879.]

Bowers becomes undertaker
I am now prepared to attend undertaking, having on hand trimmings and other materials for making coffins on short notice. I have also mae [sic] arrangement by which I can furnish caskets and coffins of any description manufactured.
F. E. Bowers

[Source: Gettysburg Lever (Gettysburg, Kansas), 4 June 1880.]