FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — With 16 of our former governors, United States Vice President Richard M. Johnson, countless war heroes and a panoramic view of the Capital City, it’s easy to see why the Frankfort Cemetery a lot to many people.
“In the evenings, when it's so quiet and peaceful and you walk around,” Susan Cunningham said of what she likes most about this place. “There's just a solemness here that you get joy from knowing the property is well taken care of, or someone you love is here."
Cunningham is a voluntary member of the cemetery’s Board of Directors.
“It's more than just a board for me,” she explained. “It's making sure the cemetery is taken care of and that when people come, they feel welcomed."
From Daniel Boone and his wife, Rebecca who were reinterred here, to Colonel E.H. Taylor and his family, who made this their final resting place, there’s no shortage of Kentucky history to be learned when you walk these grounds.
“A lot of people come for Daniel Boone, he's the hit show at the cemetery,” Cunningham said.
Boone’s plot sits at the top of the hill, which offers a stunning view of the State Capitol building and a good portion of the city.
“We've got E.H. Taylor here, he was the founder of what we know now as the bourbon distilling operation,” she said of the man whose bourbon is distilled just down the road at Buffalo Trace.
Cunningham said it take thousands of dollars annually to keep the grounds looking pristine, and that extra people are hired to do that work during the spring, summer and fall seasons. It has also been the burial site for several Kentucky State Police troopers who were killed in the line of duty over the years. But not every plot is occupied by a well-known Kentuckian.
“A lot of people will come and say, 'I know my aunt is buried here, but I don't know where' so we can look up where,” C said.
And then you can take the walking history lesson while heading to that loved one’s gravesite.
“It is. It absolutely is [a history lesson]. We love for people to come visit, it's just a neat place,” Cunningham added.
