God's Little Half Acre

Unlike Erskine Caldwell's, God's Little Acre, there's no hanky panky going on at God's Little Half Acre on Highway 7 in the Ozarks. After all, it is a final resting place with tombstones dating as far back as the mid 1800s.

After driving past this little fenced in plot of land for many years, I finally gave into curiosity and stopped. I'm glad I did. Cemeteries can shed some interesting light.

There were the usual infant markers for daughters and sons birthed and lost in the same year, several veterans and even a tombstone for James Freeman, C.O.D., who served in the 2nd Arkansas Calvary. The information is encircled in a type of marshall or sheriff badge. Now, what in the world does that mean?

Of utmost interest, however, is the tombstone which appears to have been scraped over with a knife, and the name Spciy Freeman was written on it with a stick. How very rudimentary and odd! Almost as if the death had been unexpected, and so a batch job was executed on an existing tombstone. The poor soul didn't even warrant a proper header. Wonder if he/she was a scoundrel? The family certainly didn't take pride in putting him to rest.

Also very peculiar in this little stretch of ground is the mound of rocks, some border plots like little rock fences, but there are no markers or tombstones.

Sad to see many of the markers are so old the writing has been worn away.

In rural spaces, as much of the Ozarks continues to be, regulation of such entities as cemeteries remains in the hands of local communities. This cemetery is so rural, even though it is on a well-traveled highway, that the closest house is at least 15 miles away.

I will keep y'all updated as I find out more info.