Keytesville City Cemetery - Keytesville, MO - Missouri Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

County of marker: Chariton County
Location of marker: N. Mulberry St., center of city cemetery, Keytesville
Marker erected by: City of Keytesville
Sign & Landscaping provided by: Dred and Lula Finnell Trust
Date marker erected: 2014

Marker text:

Keytesville City Cemetery The Keytesville Cemetery comprises 14.6 acres of land. Land purchased for the cemetery occurred in stages over time. The earliest acquisition was from Isaac Redding in 1848. This parcel of land lies immediately north and west of the cemetery gates. Records at the Chariton County Courthouse referred to it as "The Old Burying Ground." The oldest tombstones in the cemetery are found here. Some date from the 1830's which indicate the area was used for burials prior to becoming an official cemetery.

in 1882 John P. Jones sold to the City of Keytesville land referred to as the Jones Addition. This large tract, lying immediately west and extending south in an "L" shape from the original cemetery was surveyed by Thomas Elliott in October 1882 and was laid out with avenues separating burial areas. Those avenues on the survey map were to be 20 or 30 feet in width depending on their locations. All graves were to be 10 feet apart within those boundaries. The names of numerous early settlers from Keytesville were assigned to label the avenues. These names include: Crawley, Ewing, Veach, Applegate, Mackey, Elliott, Hampton, Martin, Swain, Courtney, and Mann. Although theses thoroughfares within the cemetery are not indicated by street markers, on the official cemetery map they are noted and preserve the names of the early inhabitants of the town.

After 1882 other parcels of land were acquired to comprise the present day configuration of the cemetery. Previous owners of some of the tracts of ground are identified in the Chariton County Plat Book of 1897 as: John C. Crawley and James C. Wallace (joint owners), Hugo Bartz, and George Cooper. Another tract at the extreme west end of the Keytesville Cemetery was provided by the R.P. Christopher family. The most recent acquisitions by the city came in 1951 and 1957 and were parcels of land purchased from Harry Duncan whose property (originally known as the Walters place) was immediately south and west of the entrance gates of the cemetery. The latter purchase, ¾ of an acres, is referred to on the official cemetery map as "The New Addition."

*A detailed map of the Keytesville Cemetery is available for viewing at the Keytesville City Hall.

This informational sign and landscaping was made possible by the Dred and Lula Finnell Trust, 2014

Images found on gravestones reflect the
cultural beliefs of various time periods.
[Image of weeping willow]
The weeping willow tree was a common 19th century
theme, symbolizing sorrow and human frailty

[image of clasping or praying hands]
The clasped hands found on many tombstones symbolize
"farewell" hand the hope of meeting in eternity

Cemetery Etiquette
Maintain a Respectful Attitude
No Loud Talking or Laughing
No Walking on Graves or Littering
No Climbing or Playing on Tombstones
No Dogs off Leash
No Vehicles off the Road

Web link: [Web Link] History of Mark: The history of the cemetery and the mark coincide above Additional point: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
A clear picture of the Marker or Plaque taken by you.
Also would appreciate you input on the text and location.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.