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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2015-2016 Cemetery Resource Board Annual ReportCity of Jefferson Cemetery Resource Board Report July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 The City of Jefferson Cemetery Resource Board con tinues to be active in the pre serva tion and res t oration of hi storic Old City Cemetery, Woodland Cemetery, and Lon gv iew Cemetery in Jeffe rso n City, Missouri. The Cemetery Re source Board is very active in honoring and preserving those individuals w ho are a part of Jeffe r so n City hi story. Th e current Ce metery Re source Boa rd members are : Nancy Thompson (Chair) Ti m Th eroff (Co -Cha i r ) Pat-Rowe Kerr Beth Bock Rebecca Gordon Mark Schreiber (Council Liai son) In 2015-2016 the Cemetery Resource Bo a rd cont inued to restore hi storical gravestones and structures, and to unearth historic gravestones that had be en lost to t ime . With th e help of the community and vo luntee r s many projects ha ve seen progress this past year. In Ju ly of 2015, the Cemetery Resource Bo a rd finished the restoration of the Clarke Mausoleum located along East McCarty Street. With money a ll ocated from the City Council, the Clarke Mausoleum wa s successfu ll y restored by Koestner Masonry from Ru sse llvill e, Missouri. Ove r the years t h e Clarke Mausoleum had show n deterioration of its st ru ct ure due to time and weathe rin g. The r oof lin e was sagging, mortar was crac king a nd missing around block seams, and th e windows/roof was allowing moist ure to penetrate into t he structure. Koestner Masonry comp let ed the necessary repairs to make the st ructure soun d again and to preserve it for many years to come . Clarke Ma usoleum Cemetery Reso urce Board Report 2 015 -2 01 6 Page 1 Also in the summer of 2015, an American flag was installed on the f lag po le located in the State of Missouri burial lot next to former State of Missouri Governor JohnS. Marmaduke and Thomas Reynolds. There are also man y other State of Missouri government office holders buried i n this area. The Cemetery Resource Board felt that these individuals should be honored for their service to t he State of Missouri. American Flag in State of Missouri Lot-Woodland Cemetery Th e resetting of gravestones continued in 2015-2016 throughout Woodland/Old City Cemetery. Nancy Thompson, Chair of the Cemetery Resource Board, reset many gravestones t hro ughout the cemetery . Many of these stones were leaning, broken, or buried. Many gravestones were re set in the cemeteries which improved the maintenance and aesthetics of the area. Cemetery Resource Board Report 2015-2016 Page 2 The Cemetery Resource Board also took time out of their busy schedu les to attend a training sponsored by Riverview Cemetery Association on July 28, 2015. This training was conducted by Gary Kershner of Creative Scu lptures and Restoration, Inc. Gary gave hands on training to cemetery board members and city staff in the proper clean in g and repair of gravestones. In the fall of 2015 Nancy Thompson, Cemetery Board Chair, made arrangements with Lin co ln University staff Dr. Ruthi Sturdevant who began research on the western portion of Old City Cemetery where many unmarked graves are located . The goal of this research is to identify grave lots in this section. Some of the people interred may have been founders of Lincoln University. Also at this time arrangements were made w ith Lincoln Uni ve rsity ROTC Program for volunteer help in cleaning up areas of the cemetery. Lieutenant Colonel Ray Ferguson and hi s ROTC students volunteered time in helping clean grave stones, rake lea ve s, and remove unwanted brush in Old City Cemetery. Pictured below (lincoln University ROTC) Ce m et ery Re so urce Bo ard Rep ort 2015-20 16 Page 3 Throughout the year the Cemetery Resource Board and City of Jefferson staff continued the maintenance upkeep of the cemeteries. In the fall of 2015 staff recommended that Lamberson Lawn Care receive the three year contract for maintenance of the cemeteries. This included the mowing, trimming, raking, trash remov al , and snow removal at Old City, Woodland, and Longvi ew Cemeteries. Decoration guidelines were also created for the Longview Cemetery to help guide individuals in the proper decoration of grave sites. The Parks and Recreation Department gave assistance this yea r in the t rimming and pruning of t rees in Wood land Cemetery. The Parks and Recreation Department helps keep the trees i n good condition and safe for the public w ho visit the cemeteries. A lso a large maple tree was re moved due to decay to prevent it from falling and damaging many important monuments and grave stones in Woodland Cemetery. In the spring of 2016, contact was made with the State of Missouri Office of Admin istration to sol ici t help in restoring the State of Missouri lot in Woodland Cemetery. Im med iate r esponse w as received from the State of Missouri prov iding help and materia ls in en han cing th is lo t. Wa lking path s and bed stone grave markers that had been overgrown with grass were resto r ed t o make an area that looked cared for and respected. State of Misso u ri Lot Cemetery Resource Board Report 2015-2016 Page4 The spring of 2016 became busy with the planning of the Historic Cemetery Walking Tour whic h occurred on June 4. A monument was dedicated to Carrie Crittenden at this event. Carrie Cr ittenden was the nine year old daughter of former Go ve rnor Thomas Crittenden (1881-1885). She was a little girl who was beloved by everybody in Jefferson City . Carrie died due to diphtheria when she was nine years old in 1882 and was buried in Woodland Cemetery on E. McCarty Street. The Daughters of the American Revolution enumerated Woodland Cemetery in 1976 and stated the monument where Carrie was buried was no longer present. An article in "The State Times" published in Jefferson City on Friday, August 13, 1886, included this statement, "Scarcely ten feet away from Mr. Lay 's (the Honorab le A lfred M. Lay, member of the Congress from Missouri) monument, sleeps the beloved daughter of Go ve rno r Crittenden". Using this research, Nancy Thompson, Cemetery Board Chair, was able to locate a stone slab fitting the above description and determined the grave site of where Carrie Crittenden was buried. The Cemetery Resource Board agreed that a monument honoring Carrie Crittenden sho uld be established at this location. With the help of the Friends ofthe Missouri Go ve rnor's Mansion, the City of Jefferson, and community partners a monument was created to honor this little girl w ho was a part of Missouri and Jefferson City history. Ca r rie Crittenden Monument (Dedicated June 4, 2016 at Woodland Cemetery) Cemetery Re so urce Bo ard Report 2015-2 01 6 Page 5 The Historic W alki ng Tour also gave insight about many individ ual s burie d in Woodla nd Cemetery and Old City Cemetery . The Friends ofthe Missouri Governor's Mansion docents dressed up in period cos tumes to represent the individuals interred in these historic cemeteries. They were statio ned throughout the cemetery at these grave sites t o tell the his to ry of these ind ividuals. The event was well attended by the public and many compliments we re given on ho w well the tour w as conducted and much appreciation for the improved maintenance conditions of the cemetery. The Cemetery Resou r ce Board members, City of Jefferson st aff, and community vol unteers helped make this event a success. Pictured above (F riends of the Missou ri Governor's M ansion Docents ) Reverend Beau Underwood-First Ch r istian Church Rebecca Gordon-Dir ector Friend s o f t he Missouri Governor' Man sion Cemetery Resource Board Report 2015-2016 Page 6 There we r e ma ny othe r notable accomp li shments completed at Wood land Cemetery and Old City Cemetery th is past year. Nancy Th ompson, Cemetery Resource Board Chair, has worked on many r ecord keepi ng tas ks. Th ey in clud e the follo wing: *Woodland and Old City Cemete ry has been comp letely en um erated and photos taken of every tombstone sta ndin g for archiva l r ecords . *Utilizing death certificates, obituaries, and historic documents, 766 unma rked burials have been id entified and the in fo rm at ion is posted on the City of Jefferson websi te . *Th e id entifica t ion of 103 vetera n burials has been reco rde d so f lags can be placed on these graves for Memorial Day. An add itional f ive ve terans are buried in unmarked graves and an app li cat ion w ill be made to the Vete ran's Administration fo r military st ones f or these gra ves. *Th er e ha s been 141 tombstones reset and rou gh ly 20 mo re t ombsto nes ha ve been straigh t ened or positioning improved . *Flo we r beds have been planted in var ious bed-stones grave lo ts throughout the cemetery w ith more to be planted when repairs to the tombstone are done. Longview Cemetery Improvements to Longview Cemetery, 204 Scott Station Road, continued thro ughout this past year. Numerous trees we re trimmed and underbrush was removed from around the storage bui ld ing to improve maintenance and aesthetics to t he cemete ry. Guidel in es regardin g maintenance and decorating grave sites were posted at Longview Cem et ery to help guide v is itors in the proper care of th eir loved o nes grave site. Also this past year the City of Jefferson staff sold eight grave sites at Longview Cemetery. Cemetery Resource Board Report 20 15-2016 Page 7 In conclusion, the Cemetery Resource Board continues to actively pursue the improvement of Jefferson City Municipal Cemeteries. Continued restoration of historic grave stones and maintenance of the grounds is a primary goal of the board. Also continued efforts in improving the record keeping of these cemeteries has become a major goal this next year. With continued support from the City of Jefferson, board members, and community volunteers, these cemeteries will become a historical area for visitors to enjoy for many years to come. Respectfully Submitted N~!ot;ton Cemetery Resource Board Chair Cemetery Resource Board Report 2015-2016 PageS