West End
When the City of Covington was laid out in 1815, the founders recognized the need for a burial ground. A site was selected in Covington’s west end near Craig and 6th Streets. The property was donated by the Gano family. There is no direct evidence as to when the first burial took place at the Craig Street Cemetery. The first know documentation of the cemetery is in 1823. The first sexton for the cemetery, a Mr. Fischer, was appointed by the town trustees in 1831.
The cemetery was already falling into disrepair in the 1850s. The town trustees passed an ordinance which levied a fine against anyone who damaged plants in the cemetery of who vandalized headstones. The ordinance also forbade the grazing of hogs, cattle, horses or any other domestic animals on cemetery property.
By the 1860s, the Craig Street Burial Ground was in a dilapidated condition and there was little room available for additional burials. The City of Covington, which cared for the property, decided to move the cemetery in 1872. Between July and December 1872, over 1,700 bodies were removed from the site. Most were re-interred at Highland Cemetery in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. The city purchased a large lot in Highland Cemetery for this purpose.
In 1883, the property was graded and subdivided. Sixth Street was extended through part of the property, and the railroad acquired an additional portion. The remainder of the property was sold to the general public. The auction was held in July and brought in $10,453.
No records from the cemetery are known to exist.
Adams, Charles S, “Old Covington Cemeteries” in the Papers of the Christopher Gist Historical Society, Vol. IV, pp. 66-79; Covington Journal, April 27, 1872, p. 3, July 20, 1872, p. 3 and August 17, 1872, p. 3.
