Brendan Clancy, Portage Township Trustee, invites the public to a Dedication Ceremony in honor of some of Portage Township’s earliest settlers on Thursday, October 30 at McCool Cemetery, 2700 McCool Road at 3 p.m.
A beautiful, new memorial has recently been erected at McCool Cemetery to remember those first settlers who are buried at James Shrock Cemetery which was established in 1836 and is located alongside the present day Indiana Toll Road.
The James Shrock Cemetery nearly became obliterated and removed when the Indiana Toll Road was constructed. The original survey plans for the toll road had the roadbed going through the cemetery, however, protests from a local Chesterton resident blocked the obliteration and saved the old cemetery.
Through the years the James Shrock Cemetery has been the recipient of vandalism and mistreatment, leaving many of the head stones broken and missing. Portage Township Cemetery staff have worked to piece the puzzle of broken head stones back together, gather data of pioneers buried at the old cemetery, and have erected a new monument at McCool Cemetery so these early pioneers will not be forgotten.
Join the Portage Township Trustee’s office as they dedicate and pay tribute to some of Portage Township’s earliest settlers. For more information contact McCool Cemetery at 219-763-2717 or cemetery@portagetrustee.org.