Artists find inspiration among history at Coshocton County cemetery

Martha Huff and her daughter Gabrielle bought property in a rural area of Coshocton County that happened to include a small cemetery. With all the beautiful fall colors, they decided it would be fun to host an artist day in the cemetery inviting people to bring a chair, their art supplies, and come out to paint or sketch the vintage headstones and capture the beautiful fall foliage surrounding it. Not only are the headstones beautiful, but also they are a part of history, with many local names from the community.

The earliest stone in the cemetery is dated 1879 for an infant with the last name Niess. There are 12 additional stones with that name as well. The original church, which is no longer there, was built in 1892.

"We thought maybe this was a family plot. I would love to find out the history of Chili. There is a book floating around somewhere, but we can't find any publications on it,” Martha Huff said.

Huff and her daughter are excited to be involved in the community, learning the history of this area, taking care of the cemetery and allowing people to come to their property.

"My mom wanted to plan events here, do artist day and plan an escape from the city for people," Gabrielle said. "People have asked us about possibly having wedding ceremonies here or photo shoots. A lot of people like cemeteries. We want to put up a gazebo for weddings or just for a place to come and sit and think."