Blasterz have never seen a tombstone like this - it reminds us of a bier. It is small but elegant in a cemetery where there are many large imposing and highly decorative graves.
On top of the pedestal:
"ROBERT D. KUHN
Dec 29, 1884
Jan 18 1915"
There is no epitaph to say anything about the deceased, but a quick internet search found a local news article about an Oak Cemetery tour that would stop at his grave: (
visit link)
"Unlike the HBO horror anthology “Tales of the Crypt,” the Oak Cemetery Commission's Tales of the Crypt is a tribute to Fort Smith's history makers. Ten of the more than 13,000 interred at the cemetery are portrayed through the re-enactments of actors dressed in period costume.
The Oak Cemetery Commission and the Fort Smith Parks and Recreation Department hosted the event.
During the free walking tour, Fort Smith's history came to life at the annual Tales of the Crypt event. There were two guided tours at Oak Cemetery, 3 and 4 p.m. Saturday, April 25, and approximately 475 people came to attend this year's event.
Tales of the Crypt began in 1998 and each the re-enactments of the individuals portrayed change. History makers portrayed this year included:
• Ralph Howard, a police officer killed in a 1931 shootout;
• James Richardson, a U.S. Deputy Marshal killed in the line of duty;
• Sarah Jane Parke, a Confederate spy;
• George Winston, a U.S. Court bailiff and former slave;
• Alfred Reynolds, personal bodyguard of Gen. Benjamin Bonneville;
• August Krone, a Fort Smith businessman;
• Robert Kuhn, a firefighter killed in the line of duty in 1916;
• Nancy Wheeler, sister of E.C. Bouidnot Sr. and Stand Watie, wife of the editor of Fort Smith's first newspaper.
For those who missed the event, DVDs will be made available to buy for $10."
Sure enough -- a peek at the 1910 census on Ancestry.com finds Robert D. Kuhn, age 25, single white male born in Missouri, working as Fort Smith firefighter. He and two other city firefighters are sharing a house on South 15th Street in Fort Smith.
From the Sept 1977 Journal of the Fort Smith Historical Society, we were able to find out how Fireman Kuhn died: (
visit link)
"[Page 14] Although there have been numerous firemen injured, sometimes seriously, in the line of duty, the Fort Smith Fire Department has been fortunate in losing very few men. . . . 1916- Bob Khun touched live wire while battling blaze at Crabtree's Barn, 607
North Tenth Street."
In the same issue of the Fort Smith Historical Journal, a grim list of the other Fort Smith firefighters killed or injured in the line of duty:
"1930 - Allan Etter, 31 years of service; fell from back of old pumper when wheels caught in streetcar tracks and slung engineer Etter
to ground. False alarm.
. . . .
1955 - Lotis Sively... not in fire but lost in rescue attempt at excavation. Carnegie Medal awarded posthumous. Roger T. Hudgen and Silas Hoyle also awarded Carnegie Medal, quit fire
department soon after."
Finally, we were able to find Kuhn listed on the Arkansas Fallen Firefighters memorial in Bentonville: (
visit link)
"7. Bob Kuhn - Fort Smith Fire Dept. - 1916"