I love a good cemetery. Each marker and monument tells a story, with carvings, inscriptions, and symbols that provide a glimpse into the values of our past. Delaware County’s Gardens of Memory might not be filled with historical treasures like a hundred-year-old pioneer burial ground, but two of its features -the Tower of Hymns and the Tower of Miracles- are striking landmarks nonetheless.
I come by my fascination with cemeteries naturally. My parents started exploring them while on the hunt for one of Dad’s ancestors. At first, Mom -a Swander- thought that Dad, a Shideler, harbored a peculiar interest. Then they stumbled across a Swander headstone right across from a Shideler’s. What are the odds? In time, Mom found herself captivated by the motifs on the headstones and the stories of Indiana’s itinerant stone carvers. Their paths could be traced by where their flourishes were found.
Old burial grounds have intrigued me ever since, but I’d never explored Gardens of Memory since it was, well, so new. As it turns out, the cemetery was founded in 1954 by Frank Randall, a fifty-year-old Gaston native. Although he began his career as a teacher, Randall’s journey into the burial business began in 1934 when he joined his father-in-law’s firm in Illinois1.
After developing several cemeteries in the Prairie State, Randall returned to his hometown with a new vision. He bought a farm seven miles north of Muncie2, and Gardens of Memory was born. At first, the cemetery spanned 10 acres and offered 819 burial lots3.
“Many families never see a new cemetery originate during their lifetime,” early Garden View promotional material explained. “Thus it is an unusual experience to watch a cemetery grow from an idea and a farm to become an entirely new concept of burial property4.”
The groundbreaking concept the material described was that all the cemetery’s bronze markers were set flush with the ground, blending seamlessly into the landscape. “It is the thought of many enlightened people,” the pamphlet continued, “that large upright tombstones are not desirable and do not in any measure assuage the grief of the surviving kindred or stand as fitting tributes to the memory of the departed5.”
Me, I want a thirty-foot obelisk that obstructs lawnmowers and intimidates passersby! Still, a walk through the area does feel more like a peaceful stroll in a park than it does a traditional cemetery. As I wandered, I discovered that Gardens of Memory’s charm extends beyond its peaceful ambiance and mid-century decorations.
While I was there, I counted several distinct “gardens.” Each features a unique theme and a striking focal point, whether it’s the life-size statue in the Garden of Christus or the bronze Bible inscribed with the Lord’s Prayer in the Garden of Devotion.
The most prominent landmark of the cemetery’s original portion is the Tower of Hymns. Erected in 1956 at the center of the Garden of Hymns, the tower reaches thirty feet tall by my estimation. The pamphlet I found said the tower’s “beautiful chimes complete the picture of reverence with beautiful lawns, flowers, and shrubs6.”
The Tower of Hymns looks like the centerpiece of a Richardson Romanesque church from the 1890s. A triple-tiered structure with gradual setbacks, it features four pilasters at its base, prominent crosses affixed to its middle, and decorative metal openings at its apex. A mix of red and gray stone completes the picture.
I didn’t realize this at first, but the Tower of Hymns is more than just a decoration. Aside from anchoring its garden and providing a pleasant soundtrack, the tower also serves as a mausoleum! The oldest burial in its base dates to 1995. One of the spaces still awaits an occupant.
Features like the Tower of Hymns are meant to imply permanence, but Gardens of Memory is a dynamic place that’s expanded several times since it was founded. The cemetery extends nearly eighty acres today7 and features nineteen unique gardens! One, the Garden of Miracles East, was established in 1979. Standing about a thousand feet southeast of the Tower of Hymns, its Tower of Miracles presents a strikingly different presence.
The Tower of Miracles has intrigued me ever since I first spied it from nearby State Road 3. Unfortunately, I’ve always found its abstract design difficult to describe. Rising perhaps forty feet tall, the tower stands on a unique pentagonal base and features three angular columns that converge at the center. Each pillar features a depiction of one of Christ’s miracles, while a bell shell hiding a radial loudspeaker hangs suspended at the center. Unfortunately, neither tower chimed during my visit. I was greeted with a profound silence.
The stillness I experienced only enhanced the solemn beauty of Gardens of Memory, a place where more than 22,000 souls rest. Together, its two towers serve as symbols of reflection and remembrance across the vast landscape: the traditionally-styled Tower of Hymns evokes a feeling of serenity, while the striking Tower of Miracles captures the spirit of awe. Each brings a unique presence to the sprawling cemetery, a place where, if not gardens per se, I found peace and memories to come together.
Sources Cited
1 1 Frank L. Randall Dies at 86, Founded Gardens of Memory (1990, October 3). The Muncie Star. p. 18.
2 Why Garden View Funeral Home And Gardens Of Memory Cemetery? (1999, March 28). The Muncie Star Press. p. 59.
3 Build New Cemetery South of Eden Church (1954, November 24). The Muncie Star. p. 7.
4 The Story of a Beautiful New Cemetery (1956). Beautiful Gardens of Memory [Muncie]. Web. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
5 (See footnote 4).
6 (See footnote 4).
7 Delaware County Office of Information & GIS Services. (2024). Parcel ID: 0710200011000. Delaware County, Indiana Assessor. map, Muncie, IN.
8 Gardens of Memory in Muncie, Indiana (n.d.) FindAGrave. Web. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
