feet, into the original Water Street right-of-way. The northern limit of the graveyard was established by 1846, when William S. Sullivant sold off the "mill property" there.2 The eastern boundary's early position is unclear, since the first description in a deed was not made until 1881.3 Some early maps show a road along the bank of the river next to the graveyard. The original graveyard seems to have embraced about two acres, whereas the present fence encloses about 1.6 acres.
The above drawing, published in 1886, was probably
based upon drawings exhibited in 1856 at the celebration of the fiftieth
anniversary of the Presbyterian congregation. It shows the church in the
Franklinton Graveyard, with tombstones to the east and north and muddy
Water street in front. 
The Franklinton Graveyard almost became
church property at an early date. In 1811 the erection of a small, brick
church on the property was begun through the generosity of Lucas
Sullivant, for the First Presbyterian Church of Franklin County, which had
been organized in Franklinton a few years earlier. On February 20, 1812
the First Presbyterian Society in Franklinton was incorporated by the
state legislature.4 The only purpose of
such an incorporation was to allow the society to hold real property, and
thus it can be confidently inferred that the society intended to purchase
the graveyard property, on which the new church was being built, before
the next session of the legislature would meet in December of 1812. This
intention was thwarted on that fateful day of June 18, 1812 when the sale
of lots in the new town of Columbus was begun and war was declared on
Great Britain. Franklinton became an important center of activities of the
western army and the unfinished church in the graveyard was appropriated
by the quartermaster's department for use as a granary
2