Monument City in Polk Township, Huntington County; The only time you can see it is when the Reservoir water level is down during the winter. It is a ghost town consisting of roadways and building foundations only, a victim of progress. The remnants of an old cemetery are here.

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, DEC. 2007:

IndyStar.com Metro & State
December 6, 2007

Receding reservoir reveals remains

ANDREWS, Ind. -- A scientist is studying skeletal remains that were exposed by changing water levels in the Salamonie Reservoir.

The remains are believed to have come from an old cemetery that was moved in the 1960s before construction of the reservoir, said park manager Jim Duguid. The area about 30 miles southwest of Fort Wayne also once was the site of a town called Monument City.

Some of the 700 graves may have been overlooked or not moved for some unknown reason, said Keith Keeney, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers forensic anthropologist.

"There's a chance that they were left behind. There's also the chance they were not marked," Keeney said last week at the site.

The remains, believed to come from five graves, were found in early November by a fisherman who notified officials. The rising and falling of the reservoir apparently wore away the soil, exposing the graves.

Keeney believes the bodies were buried sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. One of the skeletons, which is nearly complete, appears to be that of a white man. Less remained of the other skeletons -- mainly small bones such as hands and feet -- making it difficult to determine such details.

Also unearthed were clothing remnants and buttons of shell and porcelain, the apparent remains of a felt burial shroud, and metal coffin handles. The handles bear patent numbers and Keeney believes they may be made from German silver-plated nickel.

Within months the bodies will be re-interred in the new Monument City Cemetery, but their identities may not be determined, Keeney said.