Nearly Every Resident of This Indiana Cemetery Died From the Same 1800s Epidemic
Hidden away in Jennings County, Indiana, is a small and unassuming cemetery with a tragic history. Saint Catherine's Cemetery in Hayden may be small, but it serves as a reminder of just how tough life was back in the 1800s. Those were the times when diseases we barely think about today were often deadly - and this cemetery reflects that harsh reality.
Local history enthusiast James Branam shared photos of the cemetery on the Abandoned and Forgotten Indiana Facebook group. According to local legend, nearly everyone buried at Saint Catherine's Cemetery lost their lives to a deadly cholera outbreak. Imagine how frightened this Hoosier community must have been, seeing so many loved ones die.
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What Exactly is Cholera?
While it sounds like something out of a dusty old medical journal, Cholera is a very real, and potentially deadly disease. Cholera spreads through contaminated food or water and causes severe dehydration. Here is what the World Health Organization (WHO) has to say:
Cholera is an extremely virulent disease that can cause severe acute watery diarrhea. It takes between 12 hours and 5 days for a person to show symptoms after ingesting contaminated food or water. Cholera affects both children and adults and can kill within hours if untreated. Cholera remains a global threat to public health and an indicator of inequity and lack of social development.
These days, Cholera is easily treatable with modern medicine, but back in the 1830s, it was a different story. A worldwide cholera outbreak swept through the Midwest, devastating communities just like Hayden, Indiana.
Should I Be Concerned About Cholera in Indiana?
Thankfully, in the U.S., cholera is now incredibly rare - about five cases per year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). But in many underdeveloped countries, the battle against cholera isn’t over. Each year, millions of people around the world are affected, and thousands lose their lives.
A place like Saint Catherine's Cemetery isn’t just an interesting piece of history - it’s also a great reminder of how far we’ve come. Modern medicine, clean water, and public health advances have turned once-deadly diseases like Cholera into rare occurrences here in Indiana and the rest of the country.
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