Thousands of people drive past the Monroe County Community College campus on Raisinville Rd. every day without thinking about that little tree-covered hill framed by the road and college parking lots.
But that hill has some history. And it reaches back to the days before the community college began to grow nearby.
Prior to the arrival of MCCC, the site was a potter's farm and field. Those who were bankrupt, poor or otherwise disadvantaged moved here to farm the surrounding land. If they earned enough money to become self-sufficient, they left the farm.
Many, however, died on the site. And the dilemma was, of course, what to do with the body of someone without savings and, often, no family. That's where the hill comes in. Standards were different then, and the dead were placed in a mass grave. That mass gravesite became the hill.
I discovered the hill during regular walks that I used to take on the MCCC campus. I wanted as much terrain as could pack into my walk and the hill provided some. Only after several walks did I read the historical sign at the top of the hill. I had to laugh at my innocent-turned-morbid search for terrain in flatland Monroe.
This spot and sign is worth a look. I snapped a picture that appears above.
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