If you find yourself cruising along County Road 400 in Amity, Indiana, you'll eventually come to a strange hill in the middle of the rural, two-lane road. Normally, road crews would flatten out the mound and pave right over it without thinking twice, but in this case, the pavement actually splits around it. Why? Because road crews were terrified of disturbing it.
Long before a paved road ever ran through the area, Amity was a small village near Sugar Creek. In 1808, a 14 year old girl named Nancy Kerlin married a man named William Barnett, and the two lived happily in the area, having 11 children. Nancy passed away in 1831, and in keeping with her wishes, William buried her on her favorite plot of land; a hill with a beautiful view overlooking the creek. Nancy was the first to be laid to rest there, but before long, other locals followed suit and an official cemetery was built around Nancy's grave.
Decades later, a National Guard training camp, Camp Atterbury, was coming together and developers began the process of moving the graves that were in the way, a plan that Nancy's grandchildren weren't too fond of. After some intense discussions, developers agreed to keep her plot intact. This worked out until the county decided that Nancy's plot was smack dab in the middle of the road they'd already started building.
Despite objections from Nancy's extended family, the county pushed ahead with their plans. In retaliation, Nancy's grandson Daniel grabbed his shotgun and camped out near his grandmother's plot, refusing to allow anyone to step foot on the mound. For weeks, Daniel risked his life (and trouble with the law), defending Nancy's final resting place, until every road worker was too terrified to cross his path. At this point, the county relented, and simply split the lanes right down the middle and worked around the plot. The county placed a concrete slab above the grave to protect it from inattentive drivers, and in August 1912, it was officially granted a historical marker, presumably to keep people from asking why the heck there was a giant hill in the middle of the road.
To check out the grave in the middle of the road, simply make your way toward Franklin, Indiana on County Road 400. There's plenty of places to park along the street, but do mind the no tresspassing signs located on properties along the stretch. On your way to visit Nancy's final resting place, be sure to make a detour in Amity to see the World's Largest Rocking Chair!
