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
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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.
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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)
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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
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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)
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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
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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.
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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
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