Stewart Cemetery rests quietly above the south bank of the White River in Yorktown, Indiana. It’s a place where time moves as turbidly as the water nearby, since much about the cemetery remains a mystery. Carved into weathered stone, the names of William Stewart and William Daugherty murmur the echoes of a past that clings to the land despite significant changes.
Stewart Cemetery sits on the land that was once the William Stewart homestead. Surprisingly, though, Stewart isn’t the most notable figure buried there. The cemetery’s also said to be the final resting place of William Henry Daugherty, Sr., a veteran of the Revolutionary War! Born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 17541, Daugherty enlisted as a soldier at the age of twenty-three. He joined the fight in his home state of Westmoreland County under Colonel Thomas Gaddis2.
Daugherty served at Fort Swearingen, where he played a pivotal role in capturing a number of British soldiers. Among those he captured were Isaac Boses and William White, who were sentenced to hang. In a bold act of mercy, Daugherty cut them down and saved their lives. He was given a verbal discharge for his actions3.
After his time at Fort Swearingen, Daugherty left to join Captain Samuel Swindler at Fort Beach Bottom. Soon, he volunteered for a mission with Colonel John Evans to rendezvous with General Lachlan McIntosh4. The group went on to establish Fort McIntosh, then moved on to erect Fort Lawrence5. Afterward, Daugherty returned to Fort McIntosh, where he remained until the end of the Revolutionary War.
Once back in Westmoreland County, Daugherty answered the call for several expeditions against Native American forces, including a stint at Fort Stradlers6. After serving in Ohio and Kentucky, he relocated to Delaware County in 18297. Five years later, Daugherty settled in sections fourteen and fifteen of Mt. Pleasant Township, where he lived until his death at the age of eighty-seven in 1841.
William Daugherty is believed to have been laid to rest in an unmarked grave on land that eventually became part of David Campbell’s property. His final resting place remained lost to time until 1928, when the Daughters of the American Revolution honored his legacy by placing a modest stone at Stewart Cemetery. The cenotaph may not sit atop Daugherty’s actual grave, but it ensures that his contributions to American independence won’t be forgotten.
Sadly, much less is known about the life of William Norris Stewart, the other man commemorated at Stewart Cemetery. Born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, in 1771, Stewart was a skilled tailor and moccasin maker. During the War of 1812, he ran a tavern that became a popular stop for American soldiers. After the war, Stewart moved to Mt. Pleasant Township, settling in 18268. He lived there for about a decade before he died at sixty-four or sixty-five. Though the details of his life remain scarce, Stewart’s presence in the early days of Mt. Pleasant Township marks his lasting impact on the community he once called home.
Two headstones commemorate what’s thought to be William Stewart’s final resting place. The first is a rectangular marker with a crude inscription scrawled on one side. The second features the same information but features a postscript, “Erected by Linden B. Moffett 9-11-28.” Moffett passed away in 1953 and is buried in Sunderland Cemetery in Daleville, but his connection with William Stewart remains unclear.
Other mysteries abound: apparently, Stewart Cemetery was once far larger than its current 20×20-foot plot. At some point, nearly all of its graves were relocated to Yorktown’s Overmire Cemetery, which was established in 18349. For reasons that remain a mystery, William Stewart’s marker was left behind on the land his family once called home. Meanwhile, his wife, Nancy, and their son, Timothy, are buried at Overmire Cemetery just a short distance away. The unanswered question of why Stewart’s grave was spared adds an intriguing layer to the history of the quiet place.
For better or worse, Stewart Cemetery has never been easy to find. By the late 1980s, the only way to reach it was by pushing through thick briars and tangled raspberry bushes behind Yorktown’s water treatment plant10! Fortunately, the overgrown cemetery was rediscovered and revived through an Eagle Scout restoration project in 1991. The work cleared brush and installed a new fence, steps, and handrails that not only made the cemetery more accessible but honored the stories that had long waited to be told.
Thankfully, Stewart Cemetery appears to have been restored again in the intervening years. Today, it sits quietly behind a vast and rapidly growing housing development. Set to include 278 rental units upon its completion, the $40 million, 64-acre11 Daugherty Preserve has completely transformed the west side of Yorktown! Ironically, modern development has made old Stewart Cemetery more accessible than ever before, allowing more people to visit and pay their respects to the forgotten souls said to be buried there.
Unfortunately, the newfound accessibility comes with a deeper concern. How long will the burial ground remain untouched by the progress around it? I hope that, in the rush of development, Stewart Cemetery will remain preserved. Its quiet history deserves to be safeguarded amid the ever-encroaching modern world.
Sources Cited
1 Haimbaugh, F.D. (1924). History of Delaware County, Indiana. Volume I. Historical Publishing Company [Indianapolis]. book.
2 Old Records Here Show Facts of Revolution (1931, December 10). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 5.
3 (See footnote 2).
4 (See footnote 2).
5 Greene, D. (1958, November 25). Seen and Heard in Our Neighborhood. The Muncie Star. p. 4.
6 (See footnote 2).
7 (See footnote 5).
8 Helm, T. B. (1881). Mount Pleasant Township. In History of Delaware County, Indiana: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers (pp. 268–269). book, Kingman Brothers.
9 Gerhart, L. (1987, August 8). Mission for history. The Muncie Evening Press. p. 6.
10 (See footnote 9).
11 Ohlenkamp, C. (2020, July 2). $40M rental project coming to Yorktown. The Muncie Star Press. p. A1.
