This cemetery is located behind and to the side of the Union Christian Church in Richland Township, Fountain County, Indiana. Union Christian Church is on the south side of East County Road 560 North, otherwise known as East Aylesworth Road, about three miles west of the town of Newtown.
According to Find A Grave (
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According to my research:-
Some of the first residents of Coal Creek in Richland Township, were members of the Presbyterian Church. They resolved, in the Fall of 1826, to meet together every Sunday. They organized as a church on December 3, 1827. October 1, 1829, the church had increased to forty-nine. During the year 1829 this organization built a house of worship, 30 x 40 feet, on or near the ground now occupied by the Coal Creek Cemetery church. It was burned down a year or two after its erection. Another was built soon after on James Millers land, a quarter of a mile west of the first. January 1, 1835, Rev. John Crawford began preaching, one half the time in the Coal Creek church, and the other half in the McClure neighborhood. Rev. John Crawford died in June 1839. He is buried in this cemetery. In 1838 the church divided, the eastern, or Newtown portion, going with the New School, and the western, or Coal Creek portion, going with the Old School, and so became two churches. In 1840 Rev. Samuel G. Lowrie supplied the church for a time. In January, 1841, the Rev. John Fairchild, a licentiate, commenced ministerial labors in Newtown. In March, 1841, the church adopted the name Newtown Presbyterian church. The Coal Creek church kept up its organization till about 1860, when it disbanded. (
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An 1881 history:
The Christian church at the Coal Creek cemetery was organized July 17, 1871, with a membership of seventeen. The first minister was Elder Phelps, who labored for the church one year. In 1872 Rev. W. T. Warbington was employed as pastor and continued until 1878. He was a popular preacher and instrumental in building up and largely increasing the church in numbers. In 1879 the pastoral labors of Rev. T. C. Smith, president of Merom College, were secured, and his pastorate continues at the present time. The first officers of the church were: deacons David Whitesel and Josiah Rusk; clerk, James Rusk. There was a union Sunday-school organized a short time after the church, which is still in good condition, being kept up both summer and winter. The church now numbers 150. The present deacons are David Whitesel, Reuben Lister and Thomas Miller. Barzillai M. Kiff is the present clerk.
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There are two dates on the dated corner stone. 1871, the date the Union Christian Church was established, and 1906, the date this building was built. The church is currently closed. It still has all the original beautiful stained glass windows. It is planned to preserve and restore this building.
Richland Township is one of eleven townships in Fountain County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 950 and it contained 423 housing units. (
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Fountain County lies in the western part of the U.S. state of Indiana on the east side of the Wabash River. The county was officially established in 1826 and was the 53rd in Indiana. (
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