Eastern Gate

A second cemetery entrance was located to the east of Crown Hill, situated at the end of a long tree-lined lane that connected the rolling cemetery grounds with the Indianapolis and Westfield Gravel Road (today known as Illinois Street). For two decades, it was merely referred to as the east (or back) entrance.

In 1884, Crown Hill’s Board of Corporators decided to convert the east entrance into the cemetery’s main entryway. As Indianapolis’ growth was moving steadily northward along Meridian Street, they realized it was time to bring the main entrance closer to the public. Therefore, the main entrance was removed from the west side and relocated to what is now 34th Street and Boulevard Place. (We will highlight the Gothic Gates in our April newsletter.)

The East Entrance was the back gate and not a main feature until it was replaced in 1885 by the Gothic Gates.