Because of the lack of settlement in the Ohio Territory due to Indian uprisings, Gen. George Washington commissioned Col. George Rogers Clark to recruit 1,000 Kentuckians to cross over the Ohio River and begin the clash of cultures that would open up settlement into parts of southwestern Ohio.
Clark led his men, including well-known frontiersman Simon Kenton, through the Indian village of Chillicothe, present-day Oldtown. Finding the village vacated by the fleeing Indians, Clark’s men continued to press on after spending the night in a steady downpour, toward the village of Piqua, also known as Pickewe, among other spellings.
On Aug. 8, 1780, the army crossed Mad River in the area of a present-day canoe livery. The Indian village, including 300 braves of the Shawnee, Wyandot, Mingo, and Delaware tribes, strongly resisted Clark’s army. However, they were vastly outnumbered and escaped with minimal loss of life.
Simon Kenton, surveying the area and recognizing its beauty, vast resources, and potential for a future settlement, resolved to return someday.
In 1799, Kenton and John Humphreys brought 12 families from Kentucky to settle in the western part of today’s Clark County.
That same year James Demint, also of Kentucky, followed Indian trails and flowing rivers and settled north of Buck Creek, where the board of education building once stood.
A large rock with a memorial plaque marks the general area where Demint built his double log cabin.
Along with surveyor John Daugherty and assisted by Griffith Foos of Kentucky, Demint platted the town in March 1801. His wife named the town Springfield because of the many underground springs that are found in the area. It also has been reported that Simon Kenton’s wife may have also suggested the name. In any case, Springfield was born.
As part of the original plat, three lots of 1.49 acres located off of Columbia Street were set aside for a cemetery. This “Old Graveyard” was formally dedicated in 1804, when Demint’s second addition extending to present-day Race Street was platted. Demint’s first wife, Nancy, was the fourth burial there.
This cemetery is the final resting place for several Revolutionary War soldiers, including Elijah Beardsley, a participant in the Boston Tea Party.
Also, James Kelly, grandfather of noted industrialist O.S. Kelly, rests in Springfield’s first cemetery. James Demint and other early pioneers also were buried there, but no interment records can be found that indicate their exact resting place.
Demint’s Cemetery was sadly neglected until 1924, when the local Lagonda Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution began a major reconstructing and rededication project that removed trash and debris from the years of unconcern.
The oldest stones are no longer to be found and some that remain are illegible or damaged.
In 1863, Charles Anthony, a War of 1812 veteran and noted attorney, became the final person to be buried in the venerable Demint Cemetery.
Sadly, to those who are dedicated to preservation of our heritage, this Demint Cemetery still lies in some disrepair. However, the Springfield Preservation Alliance lists this landmark as a future project for renovation.
Paul Schanher is a local dentist who has written a book on Ferncliff Cemetery.
Cemetery tours May 29 and July 10
Paul Schanher will lead two tours of Ferncliff Cemetery sponsored by the Springfield Preservation Society. The first, at 10 a.m. Saturday, will be of the western part of the cemetery. The second, at 10 a.m. July 10, will tour the eastern part. Each is $8 ($5 for society members). Tickets available at restorespringfield.org or at Fred E. Peters & Sons.