Young spends time in the cemetery, tracing her roots, hidden away by towering trees. 

"I really wanted to do a lot of family genealogy and to learn more about our family history," Young added.  History lasts forever, but not in this disappearing cemetery. 

"As each one of those roots and trees pull away, the dirt is going to continue to be pulled down and this grave will be gone," explained Young. 

The final resting place on the edge may not be so peaceful as the edge is ever changing and slowly melting away.

"The state did this," charged John Kail. 

Having lived over eight decades in Cheshire, Kail has seen the face of the community change as much as the once glistening headstones. He remembers when the state bulldozed around the cemetery to reroute Ohio 554. 

"They cut out between over there and the bank behind us, which was a small ridge. That dirt went down there to also be used as fill," said Kail.

The forgotten cemetery now sits on an eroding island. An old road, with the yellow stripe still in view acts as evidence. The tattered trash and asphalt were forgotten long ago. 

"To me this is our history and heritage," said Young.

Young isn't willing to forget people like Mary Gardner or Jacob Roush or the countless war heroes. Some have been resting here for more than 200 years. 

"Just think how you would feel if those were your ancestors that were sliding down the back of that hill," said Young. 

That is the ultimate consequence if slow erosion continues to cut into this hill filled with stories and memories of the past. A past that Young hopes will be preserved forever.  

For more information, you can visit the Cemeteries of Gallia County Web site.

©2010 by ONN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.