Sanders' Cemetery Restoration
The Sanders' Cemetery was originally founded in 1854 for the Sanders' Family and was used in 1862 by both factions of the American Civil War as burial grounds. In 2018 and 2025, the Committee began restorations efforts that were completed in August, 2025.
The History | Context
The Sanders' Cemetery was establishjed in 1854 for the Sanders family but had become a general burial ground by the time of the Civil War. Most importantly, the cemetery was used by both factions of the Civil War in 1862 when it became the internment spot for soldiers from the Battle of Shiloh, local skimrishing and the Siege of Corinth. One hundred and eighty-three Federals who died in the nearby skirmishes and hospitals were buried here until they were dug up in 1868 and moved to the National Cemetery at Shiloh National Military Park. Due to vandalism of the cemetery and use as an illegal local landfill some twenty-five to thirty years ago, it is our hope that LiDAR technology will aid us in finding the lost graves and repairing/replacing the broken tombstones of both parties of soldiers.
The Restoration Project (2 Phase)
By about 2018 to 2019, the Old Monterey Trail Committee began meeting with landowners about the idea of pull-off stops at the tour spots along the trail. Further compelled by its significance and as a preventative measure, board member Victor "Vic" Parker bought land on the "Pea Ridge Overlook" to keep it from being developed by outside interests. Following the devastating hit of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee resumed work in May of 2025 to continue working on the Sanders' Cemetery.
A project was established to assign local boy scout members of Michie to clean off the historic Sanders' Cemetery. The goal was to clean, repair and re-develop the Sanders' Cemetery in such a way to conserve its original appearance while developing a feasible and decent experience for tourists. By May 3, 2025, the project began with Boys Scout volunteers and other local volunteers raking off leaves, cleaning tombstones and creating temporary fixes for broken headstones until greater repairs were available. Additionally, a new flag pole was established and the surrounding fencing was cleaned.
Phase two was initiated by August 4 and August 18, 2025, when teams of volunteers came out and continued repairs on the cemetery. By then, the cemetery had received sufficient repairs and gravel roadwork had been made to allow tourists to both the Sanders' Cemetery and the historic Pea Ridge Overlook. A bench was also placed alongside a large board showing the Old Monterey Trail, a history of the cemetery and a spot for tourists to take a brochure about the trail.
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