Walnut Hill Cemetery was founded October 1, 1869 by Dr. William R. Genung—one of the early doctors in Fort Branch—who was the original land owner of the cemetery location. After Dr. Genung’s death in 1914, his son, Homer T. Genung, became the caretaker of the cemetery, continuing his work until his death in 1973. Homer’s son, Gary Genung, followed the family tradition as caretaker of the cemetery afterwards.
In 1969, when the cemetery celebrated its 100th anniversary, an article was published in the Princeton Daily Clarion, in the September 30th issue, in honor of the cemetery’s history. In the article, the original founder Dr. Genung is quoted: “He often remarked, when pausing at the top of the hill to listen to the unceasing hum of the wind through the needles of the six white pines he had placed there many years ago ‘that is the Swan Song for all who lie buried here…the dirge that accompanied them as they vanish into eternity.’”
The first burial in Walnut Hill Cemetery was a child, a nephew of Dr. William R. Genung, whose grave was marked by a historical pedestal. The metal work on the front of the entrance to Walnut Hill Cemetery includes an arch and gates which were handmade at a forge in Evansville in 1909. The fence was made in Cincinnati. By 1986, there had been over 3200 burials at the cemetery. As of August of 2023, there were well over 4200 graves, with more being added each year. The first burial in which a motorized hearse was used in Walnut Hill was on March 5, 1917; until then, the rate of travel of a funeral procession was governed by the horse-drawn hearse.
Some of the memorials are unique (pictured below), such as the Anderson monument, which features two lifesize sculptures that were made in Italy. The Pritchett monument has a heavy granite sphere atop the monument, which used to turn over time as earth shifts moved the ball around—it has since been cemented in place due to multiple issues with vandalism.
Above, Left: Photo of the statues of Robert & Ann Anderson atop their monument (taken from their Find a Grave memorial page).
Above, Right: Photo of the granite sphere atop Elisha Pritchett’s monument (taken from his Find a Grave memorial page).
This photo (above) is from the Fort Branch-Johnson Township Public Library’s local history collection, showing an image of Walnut Hill Cemetery’s entrance as of June 20, 1948.
*Information summarized and quoted from Princeton Daily Clarion article from September 30, 1969; a letter by Virginia DeLong (written January 13, 1986); Find a Grave memorials; and the INGenWeb website for Gibson County cemeteries.