Bellefont Cemetery, Frankfort, Kentucky.
1997 KGS Board Members, Brian Harney and Margaret Davis Harney, along with KGS member
Lindy Riffe, visited this cemetery in July 1997, to check on its condition. We
think that all known burials were removed to the Frankfort Cemetery, sometime
after it opened in 1846. At least one Ky Governor and family were buried here
but it is not known how many burials total were performed at this location.
An article in a 1976 Bluegrass Roots, by James Terry, reported that the cemetery at that time was
overgrown with vines and only a couple of stones could be found. It must have
been overgrown badly for, as you can see, there are lots of stones still there
today, however, a lot of the stones you see here are just bases to
monuments. What happened to the original monuments, is unknown by this writer.
We'll try to check on this and update this story.
2001 update... This page was updated to change the name of this cemetery from Bellefont to Bellevue.
Local historian, Carolyn Rodgers, pointed out to us the plaque located
near the office of the Frankfort Cemetery, which you can see here.
Carolyn also found in the Ky Gazette Newspaper, dated 21-Oct-1816, roll 78-0071, the article regarding the burial of Governor George Madison.
It talked in great detail about the funeral route, "from the State House to High Street to Montgomery Street, then to St Clair and on to Broadway,
and then to the place of burial.", however, it never gave the exact name of the cemetery or place of burial.
But we know that Governor Madison, and his wife, Jane, were later moved to Frankfort Cemetery from .
She also found info on Governor Adair in the vertical files at KHS, however, he may have been buried first at his residence,
White Hall, and later possibly moved to the Frankfort Cemetery.
Also, Ramona Slattery, longtime KGS Cemetery Chair, has gathered some info regarding the history of Cemetery.
She notes that no one has turned up any evidence that the soldiers who died in the Battle of the River Raisin (War of 1812), and who were brought
back from Monroe, Michigan and "buried on a hill, North of Frankfort" (surely Bellefont), that they were later moved to Frankfort Cemetery.
Ramona also provided a list of others buried at : Elizabeth Kendall, Effie VanWort, Jacob Henry Smith, Martha B. Crutcher,
Lewiza Isinger, Matilda Cox, Mary Grooms, Henry Isinger, Louisiana Taylor, Ophilia Western Page.
Last, but not least, Roberta Padgett, longtime KGS Librarian, noted that when she first moved to Frankfort in the late 1940s,
there used to be an old house on "Dailey Avenue" (before it was renamed to Wilkinson Blvd), across from the State Highway Garages,
and this house had been turned into an antique store. Supposedly, near this house were some gravestones, and she wonders
what happened to them when the house was later razed to make room for more state offices. Since Cemetery is up
on the hill, a good hundred yards or more from Wilkinson Blvd, could these stones possibly have been in part of what
was the "Old State Cemetery" aka Bellefont? If so, then was much larger than what's left now.
2003 update... Another Frankfort early burial ground was discovered during the excavation of the site of the new
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Building, on Mero St. Construction was halted temporarily for archaeologists from the University
of Kentucky to process the site. Remains will be interred elsewhere after scientific study is complete,
including DNA testing on some, limited by budget constraints.
2013 update... This webpage is renamed back to Bellefont from Bellevue, after reading the research of David Nelson on Anne Lee's
Franklin County History webpages, here. The exact location of Bellevue is still a mystery
but it's looking like it may have been on the site of today's Frankfort Cemetery, a 32 acre parcel sold by Ambrose Dudley, whose farm has been referred to as "BelleView".
David pointed out that Bellefont Cemetery in north Frankfort is near Bellefont Springs, which is plainly seen on the 1882 Atlas of Franklin Co below:
|
 
|
|