Walnut Grove Cemetery Boonville, Missouri Civil Township: Boonville Quadrant Map: Boonville General Location: Locust Street in Boonville, Missouri Congressional Township: Township 49-N; Range 17-W Section: Eastern half of southeast quarter of southwest quarter of northwest quarter of section 36 Longitude & Latitude: 38 58 18 : 92 43 57 Directions: Drive east on Locust Street, you can not miss this cemetery. Atlas Survey: To Be Determined History: Walnut Grove Cemetery Boonville Weekly Eagle, 31 Mar 1876 The frequent allusions to these grounds in the papers, and the slurs, not to call them by a harsher name, thrown out against the Company, propel me, as the only surviving resident member, to offer the following in explanation. The above Cemetery was started in 1852, by ten citizens, who were unwilling to bury their dead in the uninviting grounds belong to the city, with no intention, however, of making it a public burying ground; but when the people saw the many improvements, and the evident determination of the managers to make it an ornament to the city, they insisted upon buying lots, and the managers, were, I might say, foolish enough to sell them at first at the enormous price of $10 each, and only raised (not however without giving ample notice) to $15 and $25, when they found that to continue at the former rate would not yield them revenue enough to keep the grounds in order, especially when the many lots are taken into consideration which to this day remain unpaid for, not to mention those which were presented to ministers, etc. Although it is asserted in the papers that for no improvements were ever made yet the vouchers show that the Company expended during the first ten years, nearly $2,5000, including $500 for the purchase of the grounds but never one dollar for compensation of officers, and that they have since expended large amounts for improvements, including new sections of fence, three different attempts to raise a hedge all around the grounds, planting out great numbers of evergreens, many of which have been dug up and destroyed not to mention minor items, besides paying $30 yearly for the having the grounds taken care of - few people have an idea of how much labor it requires. Up '67, the grounds were kept in such order that they were pointed out with pride to strangers, and how ridiculous it is for anyone to suppose, that those who for so many years freely and cheerfully gave their time and labor to this enterprise should all at once have turned barbarians and became recreant to their self-imposed trust by neglecting the work which they had taken so much satisfaction in creating. The facts are, that if the managers had never been interfered with, the grounds would never have shown any signs of neglect. The trouble began, when in '67, during my sojourn in Europe the agricultural society tore away the western division fence and replaced it by a high up and down, (not very ornamental) concern, which has defied all efforts to keep it in order. The A. S. never paying the slightest attention to its condition. The fence would have long since been replaced by a suitable and substantial one, had it not been the avowed intentions of some parties to turn the fair grounds into a cemetery, thereby making this division fence unnecessary. The next trouble came when the city authorities needed some earth to fill up Page 1 of 230 of Walnut Grove Cemetery in Boonville in front of the gate, and in order to save a little hauling, had the bank of earth along the front fence dug away to such an extent as to expose the pests, which naturally was soon followed by their total downfall. By leaving it for a while in that deplorable condition, I hoped to show the city authorities the absolute necessity of repairing the damages by replacing the bank of earth so uselessly dug away and thereby enable one not only to make a permanent enclosure, but also to restore the dry walk along the fence and greatly improve the entrance, (the whole expense being estimated at $150.00) All efforts in that direction have been thus far in van, and I feel compelled to hereby give notice, that whenever the present fence falls down again, which from a lack of sufficient foundation must of necessity son occur, nothing can and will be done, until the city repairs the damages alluded to - not have the right to do it myself, even if so inclined nor can the fence be set back, without encroaching upon graves. I believe I am justifiable in saying that the Walnut Grove enterprise is the only one ever attempted here, which has been faithfully carried out, without the slightest hope for glory or the advancement of any private interest; and yet it seems the originators have not even been able to escape the charge of improper motives. To those who are ready to find fault, a most excellent opportunity is now presented, to test their delights and cares of owning a cemetery, by laying off new grounds, beautifying and ornamenting them, until the old are completely eclipsed, and by renouncing all pecuniary profit, and base their hopes fro reward solely and exclusively upon the expected thanks of a proverbially grateful public. C. F. Aehle Walnut Grove Cemetery, one of the most beautiful in the State, had its inception in 1852. In that year Charles F. Aehle, Robert D. Perry, Dr. A. Keuckelhan and others purchased a piece of ground containing two acres from William S. Myers to be used as a cemetery. Upon this ground was a beautiful grove of walnut trees, hence the name Walnut Grove Cemetery. This tract has been added to from time to time. The first body interred in the cemetery was that of Mrs. Sarah Ann Quarles, who died Aug. 24, 1852. Others buried about the same time were Mrs. H. A. Massie, James McDearmon, and Ida Aehle. Also the remains of David Burton, first United States Senator of Missouri, was removed from the City Cemetery and buried here, where now stands an appropriate monument erected by the State. Up to 1880 this cemetery was under the care of Mr. Aehle, in which year the cemetery was made public under certain rules and restrictions by the purchase of the same from Mr. Aehle by and through a corporation organized for that purpose. The charter, however, was not issued until June 7, 1881. The people of Boonville and Cooper County are justly proud of this beautiful cemetery where rest the remains of their loved and lost. It has grown from year to year and its management has been such as to add to its beauty with years. While not all but much of the credit due to the superb management of this cemetery is credited to Dr. William Mittlebach, who for years has been superintendent and secretary of the same. The present board of directors are T. A. Johnson, president; W. W. Trigg, vice-president; R. W. Whitlow, treasurer; William Mittlebach, superintendent and secretary; Hilliard Brewster, Fred G. Lohse, Starke Koontz, and Charles Doerrie. The executive committee consists of William Mittelbach, W. W. Trigg, and Fred G. Lohse. Lawrence Geiger, Sr., is the present sexton. From W. F. Johnson's "History of Cooper County, Missouri", 1919 Originally, a two acre walnut grove on land owned by William S. Myers on the east edge of town just sough of the Thomas Nelson estate was purchased, and the cemetery was designed around the grave of Missouri's first Senator, David Barton whose remains were move in 1853 from their original resting place in the old City Cemetery where he had been buried in 1837. McVicker believes part of the motivation for moving Barton's remains may have been related to the fact that the first Missouri State Fair was scheduled to open at Boonville on grounds just to the north of the cemetery in the same year. Jacob Wyan was also re-interred at Walnut Grove along with a number of others. The cemetery remained under the control of the Aehle family until 1880 when it was sold to a corporation formed by Charles C. Bell, who also arranged the purchase of additional acreage and superintended a re-landscaping of the grounds, replacing many of the old and diseased walnut trees with Page 2 of 230 of Walnut Grove Cemetery in Boonville the cypress trees that grace the grounds at present. In 1881 the first official cemetery board was elected, including Bell, Charles Aehle, John Cosgrove, Augustus H. Sauter, George B. Harper, Speed Stephens, Jacob F. Gmelich, John E. Thro and Samuel W. Ravenel. More acreage was added over the next twenty years, and in 1892 a perpetual care was established. In 1901, George Kessler, the landscape architect who designed many of Kansas City's boulevards and the mineral spa area at Excelsior Springs, as well as taking an active part in the landscaping of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, was hired to redesign the cemetery. At present the cemetery includes just over 21 acres and nearly 8,000 people are buried there. From Burying Ground; Boonville An Illustrated History by Robert L. Dyer 1987 The information on the individuals listed on this page were taken from obituaries given in the Boonville Daily News, Elston J. Melton's "History of Cooper County, Missouri", the State of Missouri Death Records, local funeral homes, and individual contributors. Major contributors to date are Muriel Brewer, Lorraine Cline, Amelia Debusman, Kim Everingham, Dorothy Harlen, Sandra Lipsey, Leola Ripperger, Debbie Slaven; Frances Doutt Smith, Jim Thoma, and Justin Watkins.