Our Story

THE HISTORY OF ANDERSON, INDIANA’S MAPLEWOOD CEMETERY is a direct reflection of the city’s development and expansion, and begins with the coming of two major railroads to Anderson in the 1850’s. Their arrival spawned a population growth and subsequent need to expand the physical boundaries of the city. Tharp Cemetery – one of the earlies cemeteries in Anderson – was situated on the city’s near west side in an area targeted for expansion.  In 1863, Tharp Cemetery was relocated to a new thirty-acre section of land on the north side of the White River adjacent to the recently constructed Anderson and Alexandria Turnpike (at the corner of today’s Grand Avenue and Alexandria Pike) and was renamed Anderson Cemetery. A covered bridge was constructed to allow access to the new cemetery and the abutments for this bridge can still be seen from the current Truman Bridge.

One of the earliest burials in the new Anderson Cemetery occurred on September 5, 1863, for Captain Hiram Vandevender, 8th Indiana Infantry Regiment, who fell at the Battle of Vicksburg during the Civil War. Five years later the first national observance of Memorial Day was held on May 30, 1868. The City of Anderson’s Memorial Day celebration was held at Captain Vandevender’s grave and initiated a long tradition of remembering the nation’s fallen each Memorial Day at Maplewood Cemetery.

THE CITY’S POPULATION EXPLODED with the discovery of natural gas in Anderson in 1887, quintupling itself over the next decade and a half. With this substantial growth in population came the need for a larger cemetery. In 1902, Charles L. Henry, Anderson’s interurban entrepreneur, purchased 216 acres of farmland on the northeast edge of Anderson and sold the land to the newly created not-for-profit Maplewood Cemetery Association. This land became the grounds of the original Maplewood Cemetery.

Rudolph Ulrich, the landscape architect in charge of the grounds for the 1901 Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, was hired to lay and plat the new cemetery. He incorporated the new concept of a garden park-like cemetery for Maplewood. Over 800 trees, deciduous and evergreen, were planted in the open spaces to complement the thirty-five acres of existing trees. Winding drives were carefully laid out through the gently rolling hills to allow easy access to each burial section. Further enhancements to Maplewood’s magnificent beauty are credited to the first president of the cemetery association, William H. Stanton, who gathered ideas from many other cemeteries and brought them to life here at Maplewood.

In 1907, lot owners concerned with the conditions at Anderson Cemetery, petitioned the Maplewood Cemetery Association to direct and care for the grounds to ensure that the cemetery would not be neglected or abandoned. With this agreement, Anderson Cemetery became known as West Maplewood Cemetery. Today West Maplewood Cemetery, just a few blocks away from Maplewood’s front gate, is considered a part of Maplewood Cemetery, but retains its descriptive name and unique history.

AS MADISON COUNTY’S LARGEST TRADITIONAL CEMETERY Maplewood boasts 96 acres of developed land and another 40 acres of farmland for future development. Best known for well over one hundred years as a final resting place for generations of Anderson area residents, today’s Maplewood is also frequented by individuals who appreciate the serene, park-like grounds, peaceful atmosphere, and year-round beauty Maplewood offers to those who stroll its grounds.

There is always something happening at Maplewood. In 2020 glass front niches were installed inside our chapel. These niches are always lit and offer families a beautiful space to commemorate loved ones. In 2022 construction was completed on a beautiful mausoleum, Courtyard West, and this spring we will finish a landscaping project beside our mausoleums and chapel.

AS WE LOOK TOWARD THE FUTURE Maplewood Cemetery remains committed to meeting the evolving needs of Anderson and surrounding communities. We are continually seeking ways to enhance the beauty of our grounds and to offer the public a wide variety of ways to commemorate the lives of their loved ones. Among other ideas, we are currently exploring Green Burials and we hope to share more information about this new burial option with the public in the near future.

THE HISTORY OF ANDERSON, INDIANA’S MAPLEWOOD CEMETERY is a direct reflection of the city’s development and expansion, and begins with the coming of two major railroads to Anderson in the 1850’s. Their arrival spawned a population growth and subsequent need to expand the physical boundaries of the city. Tharp Cemetery – one of the earlies cemeteries in Anderson – was situated on the city’s near west side in an area targeted for expansion.  In 1863, Tharp Cemetery was relocated to a new thirty-acre section of land on the north side of the White River adjacent to the recently constructed Anderson and Alexandria Turnpike (at the corner of today’s Grand Avenue and Alexandria Pike) and was renamed Anderson Cemetery. A covered bridge was constructed to allow access to the new cemetery and the abutments for this bridge can still be seen from the current Truman Bridge.

One of the earliest burials in the new Anderson Cemetery occurred on September 5, 1863, for Captain Hiram Vandevender, 8th Indiana Infantry Regiment, who fell at the Battle of Vicksburg during the Civil War. Five years later the first national observance of Memorial Day was held on May 30, 1868. The City of Anderson’s Memorial Day celebration was held at Captain Vandevender’s grave and initiated a long tradition of remembering the nation’s fallen each Memorial Day at Maplewood Cemetery.

THE CITY’S POPULATION EXPLODED with the discovery of natural gas in Anderson in 1887, quintupling itself over the next decade and a half. With this substantial growth in population came the need for a larger cemetery. In 1902, Charles L. Henry, Anderson’s interurban entrepreneur, purchased 216 acres of farmland on the northeast edge of Anderson and sold the land to the newly created not-for-profit Maplewood Cemetery Association. This land became the grounds of the original Maplewood Cemetery.

Rudolph Ulrich, the landscape architect in charge of the grounds for the 1901 Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, was hired to lay and plat the new cemetery. He incorporated the new concept of a garden park-like cemetery for Maplewood. Over 800 trees, deciduous and evergreen, were planted in the open spaces to complement the thirty-five acres of existing trees. Winding drives were carefully laid out through the gently rolling hills to allow easy access to each burial section. Further enhancements to Maplewood’s magnificent beauty are credited to the first president of the cemetery association, William H. Stanton, who gathered ideas from many other cemeteries and brought them to life here at Maplewood.

In 1907, lot owners concerned with the conditions at Anderson Cemetery, petitioned the Maplewood Cemetery Association to direct and care for the grounds to ensure that the cemetery would not be neglected or abandoned. With this agreement, Anderson Cemetery became known as West Maplewood Cemetery. Today West Maplewood Cemetery, just a few blocks away from Maplewood’s front gate, is considered a part of Maplewood Cemetery, but retains its descriptive name and unique history.

AS MADISON COUNTY’S LARGEST TRADITIONAL CEMETERY Maplewood boasts 96 acres of developed land and another 40 acres of farmland for future development. Best known for well over one hundred years as a final resting place for generations of Anderson area residents, today’s Maplewood is also frequented by individuals who appreciate the serene, park-like grounds, peaceful atmosphere, and year-round beauty Maplewood offers to those who stroll its grounds.

There is always something happening at Maplewood. In 2020 glass front niches were installed inside our chapel. These niches are always lit and offer families a beautiful space to commemorate loved ones. In 2022 construction was completed on a beautiful mausoleum, Courtyard West, and this spring we will finish a landscaping project beside our mausoleums and chapel.

AS WE LOOK TOWARD THE FUTURE Maplewood Cemetery remains committed to meeting the evolving needs of Anderson and surrounding communities. We are continually seeking ways to enhance the beauty of our grounds and to offer the public a wide variety of ways to commemorate the lives of their loved ones. Among other ideas, we are currently exploring Green Burials and we hope to share more information about this new burial option with the public in the near future.

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Call us today at 765-642-3714

Call us today at
765-642-3714

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There are many difficult decisions to be made in life and normally you have the help and support of your spouse or loved ones. Why should the decision of your final resting place be any different? We can help you and your family make your decision a little easier with the variety of burial options available.