Salem Church of God will host heritage service Sunday

HASKINS — The Salem Church of God will hold a service this weekend at Graveyard Point, the only nationally recognized historical site in Washington County.

The private property along the Iowa River is a steep hill with several burial sites, and, according to some, is the only spiritual site of its kind recognized by three distinct civilizations, spanning about 3,000 years of history. It’s usually inaccessible to the public.

“It is supposedly, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, the only spot on Earth where three totally different cultures picked the exact same spot for burial,” said Washington County Historian Mike Zahs. “That would be the mound-building Indians two to three thousand years ago, historic Indians 500-600 years ago, and a little more recent than that, whites almost 200 years ago.”

Participants will meet at the Salem Church of God on Yucca Avenue at 9 a.m. May 5, and caravan over to the worship site, which could be hard to find otherwise. Zahs said the church would shuttle people to the top of the hill as needed.

The worship service will include live music from the Great Blue Grass Herons, and feature a historical talk by Zahs, about the location.

Organizers have encouraged participants to bring lawn chairs.

“There’s no pews up there,” Zahs warned.

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