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 Davis Memorial - Hiawatha, Kansas Posted by:  BruceS
N 39° 50.949 W 095° 30.957
15S E 284754 N 4414043
Historic grave monument in Mt. Hope Cemetery east of Hiawatha, Kansas.
Waymark Code: WM1KPA
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 05/27/2007
Views: 67
John Milburn Davis erected this memorial to "the sacred memory of his dearly beloved wife", Sarah. After Sarah's death in 1930, John erected a standard grave stone on her grave. However almost immediately he started erecting this memorial. The first addition was the 52-ton marble canopy placed over the grave. The the first pair of Italian marble life sized statues depicting John and Sarah were added to the memorial. These statues were followed by others depicting John and Sarah at various stages of their life together with a total of eleven statues installed. Most of the statuary was placed between 1931 and 1934. For statue of John in his older life he is seated with a chair next to him inscribed "The Vacant Chair" where his wife would have sat if she had not preceded him in death. There are various estimates of the cost of memorial between $100,000 and $200,000 or more, a great amount by any account for a small town during the Great Depression. Due to what the town's people thought was unneeded extravagance during desperate times for the town, John Davis was not well liked by the rest of the community. The Davis Memorial is now the most visited site for the community with 20-30,000 people visiting each year.
Street address:
0.1 mi. E of Hiawatha, Mt. Hope Cemetery
Hiawatha, Kansas
County / Borough / Parish: Brown County
Year listed: 1977
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1925-1949
Historic function: Recreation And Culture - Work Of Art (Sculpture, Carving, Rock Art)
Current function: Recreation And Culture - Work Of Art (Sculpture, Carving, Rock Art)
Privately owned?: yes
Season start / Season finish: From: 01/01/2007 To: 12/31/2007
Hours of operation: From: 8:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
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