An illustration from The Ghost of Cheeney Creek drawn by Sharon Cazzell.

Occasionally, people ask about visiting the cemetery described in The Ghost of Cheeney Creek after reading the book or attending one of my book chats. For instance, last week the girls of Girl Scout Troop 1656 in Noblesville, Indiana, hatched a plan to have a sleepover after they read the book, and then visit the cemetery. The cemetery is very old. The last burial in it was in 1907. Mostly Eller’s and Allison’s are buried there. No one seems to visit those graves anymore, from the looks of it. It isn’t on a public street, or on any street, for that matter. It’s located roughly in the area of 106th Street and Allisonville Road in Fishers, Indiana. The best way to find it is to go into the Gatewood subdivision just north of that intersection off Allisonville Road, and then work your way to the south, finally parking in a cul-de-sac facing a woods at the end of Woodridge Lane. Walk along a grassy path south and you’ll find it. The grave of Civil War soldier (some say deserter) James Payne, the muse for the ghost of James Parker in the book, is the first grave you’ll encounter, off alone in a rocky corner under a tree The cemetery is secluded; surrounded by woods, and framed by Cheeney Creek as it winds through the area. You might just see the wisp of the ghost of James Payne as  you stand near his grave (if you’re lucky)!