Arthur O. McNitzky and All War Veterans Buried Here - I.O.O.F. Cemetery - Denton, TX - Non-Specific Veteran Memorials on Waymarking.com

Notably, the American Legion post that placed this monument here is called "Arthur O. McNitzky Post No. 71." His Findagrave entry has a citation and photo of him from "History of Texas World War Heroes," incorrectly giving his middle initial as "M". He was born, raised, and educated in Denton, and when war beckoned, he enlisted and went to Fort Worth to train at Camp Bowie with the 36th Division, Company M, 142nd Infantry. He saw action in France in the Meuse-Argonne offensive, and was awarded a Croix de Guerre. On October 9, 1918, he was killed by a machine gun bullet in the Battle of St. Etienne. George W. Ball's "They Called Them Soldier Boys" elaborates, noting that McNitzky had been promoted to mess sergeant, and when he reached the front, he was told he had no business being there. McNitzky refused to leave, advancing with the company, and while firing from inside a hole, he was struck in the forehead and died instantly.

Type of Memorial: Non-Specific Memorial In Honor Of: In Honor of Arthur O. McNitzky and All War Veterans Buried in I.O.O.F. Cemetery Marker Text: In Honor Of Arthur O. McNitzky Killed in Action France Oct. 8, 1918 And All War Veterans Buried in I.O.O.F. Cemetery Flagpole Donated By American Legion Post 71 May 25, 2001 Date of dedication: May 25, 2001 Who Put it Here?: American Legion Post 71 Description of Memorial: The memorial is of gray, granite, with the emblem of the American Legion at the top. Private McNitzky is buried with his family in the McNitzky plot in section H. A Texas Historical Marker at the front of the cemetery provides some history: Denton Lodge No. 82 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) was chartered in 1859 by a number of the area's most prominent settlers, including John S. Chisum of the Chisum Trail fame. That year I.O.O.F. charter member and Denton merchant James M. Smoot (1822-1862) donated land here for graveyard purposes. The lodge subdivided the cemetery into four sections, each of which contained 350 burial plots. The first recorded burial was that of Anne Isabella Carroll, infant daughter of Joseph and Celia Carroll, in 1860. The site served as Denton's main graveyard and by the early 1880s space had become scarce. In 1883 the lodge enlarged the cemetery by 7.5 acres acquired from adjacent landowners John and Ann McMurray; 6.5 acres acquired from the McMurrays in 1916 further enlarged the cemetery. By the early 1920s burial space was again limited, and in 1924 the cemetery was enlarged by four acres. After maintaining the cemetery for more than 60 years the lodge deeded the 22-acre site to the city of Denton in 1933. Among the approximately 5,800 people buried here are pioneer Denton County settlers, local and state elected officials, and veterans of wars ranging from the Texas Revolution to World War II. Wars mentioned (Multi-war only): Not listed

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