Bethel Cemetery - Labadie, MO
Posted by: YoSam.
N 38° 31.091 W 090° 52.759
15S E 684881 N 4265442
Bethel Cemetery across the street from the OLD Bethel Church, about 3 miles S. of Labadie.
Waymark Code: WMY0V5
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 03/29/2018
Views: 0
County of cemetery: Franklin County
Location of cemetery: MO-T & Laretto Ridge Dr., S. of Labadie
Number of graves: 960
In this cemetery is both a monument and the gravesite of Medal of Honor Recipient George Phillips
"In August 1867, the construction of the Bethel Methodist Church
was begun and it was completed in the autumn of 1868. After completion,
Bethel Church was dedicated in a special service by Bishop Marvin. The first
pastor to serve the church was the Reverend J.E, Godbey. It is also believed
that Godbey's two children were the first to be buried in the newly-formed
Bethel Cemetery, which is located across Highway T from the church. The red
brick buildings, which sits on a rock foundation, was built by several of the
congregation members. The architect is unknown.
"The Bethel Church stands quietly on a hilltop overlooking the
church cemetery, located south of the church across Missouri Highway T, as a
silent witness and constant reminder of another date and time. Junior O'Brien
(George Phillips), who was killed in action on March 14, 1945, and was awarded
the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously, is buried here in Bethel
Cemetery. The main entrance to the old church faces south and is accessible
directly from Highway T. On the adjacent property to the west is a small one story
frame residential building, currently unoccupied, and a small two-story
wood frame residential building formerly used as the original schoolhouse for
this area. The adjacent property to the east is a residential development
consisting of three acre sites. The adjacent property to the north is open
lawn and slopes away from the old church, providing a pleasant view toward
open pasture land and the wooded area beyond. The entire site is lawn area
with several large trees. There are no paved drives or parking areas." ~ NRHP Nomination Form