Explore the oldest public cemetery in Porter County during a free guided walking tour with Kevin Matthew Pazour. Hear stories about pioneers of the area’s past while strolling through this idyllic spot in Valparaiso.

This tour is free and open to the public, but we ask that you become a member or make a $5 donation to help the PoCo Muse continue facilitating tours like this.

These grave markers belong to Sarah Clark Maxwell (left) and her husband, James Craig Maxwell. The Maxwells were "of righteous Quaker stock" and moved to Valparaiso from LaPorte in 1850. The couple and their children first resided in the Tremont House, which stood at the northeast corner of Franklin and Main Streets (now Lincolnway).

Each of the markers is representative of the era in which they were made. J. C. passed away in 1865, which explains the more traditional style of rectangular stone, but with some relief carving. Sarah's passing in 1888 coincides with a popular movement between 1880 and 1920 which markers were carved to look like tree stumps. Changing funerary customs placed more emphasis on the decedent and descendants, and a tree proved a powerful symbol of both eternity and humanity.