|
Beth
Gray, former Secretary/Treasurer of the Winterset Cemetery
Improvement Association, presented the history of the
Winterset Cemetery at the October 2016 meeting of the Madison
County Genealogical Society.
The
Winterset Cemetery belongs to the city and is located in the
southeast part of Winterset. Just
before 1850, A.D, Jones platted “Original Winterset”
marking the boundary, blocks, and lots. The cemetery ground
was purchased for burial purposes by a pioneer citizen
committee, chaired by Jones, that resolved the Winterset
cemetery be “located on or near the northeast corner of the
claim belonging to one Davis, on a ridge southeast of
Winterset, which continued out from the residence of A. D.
Jones and consisted of one acre of land lying south of a
certain oak bush, as designated by said committee.” In
early days, it was known as the “Rock City Cemetery” due
to the extensive limestone deposits surrounding Winterset.
We
know only a little about early burials because no records were
kept until 1878 nor during the years of 1884, 1885, and 1886. The
first burial was a small child; possibly an Indian child.
The first adult was John Moon.
His monument does not give the date of death but it
evidently was in the early fall of 1850 as he died from over
eating green corn and watermelons – to be exact:
1 ½ dozen ears of corn and 2 watermelons and he drank
a gallon of buttermilk. He
died during the night. The
oldest marked grave is that of John R. Farwell who died April
10, 1851.
|
For
many years, Chapter A.G. of the PEO sisterhood had
taken on the beautification of the cemetery.
The pavilion or gazebo, which is still in place
today, was built by the PEO sometime before 1900 and
is located on the northwest corner of the Original
Cemetery. In
1907 the Chapter had the roof of the pavilion painted
and planted vines around the building which they hoped
would soon furnish shade for those who wished to rest
there. They
supervised construction of several of the driveways
and planting of trees.
Iron arches were put up over each of the large
gates with the lettering “Rock City Cemetery” and
an iron fence was erected.
These
projects were done with the assistance of the city
council who advanced one-half of the money necessary
to defray the expense, but the plans, correspondence
and supervision of the work were all done by the
ladies. In
June of 1909, the PEO chapter placed before the public
the need of a permanent cemetery association.
There were such associations in many towns,
where the population and wealth were more limited than
in Winterset, so the ladies felt that Winterset could
also support a cemetery association.
These associations were mainly composed of the
women of the towns who looked after the cemeteries, so
the PEO took the initiative in this movement and
called a town meeting in order to awaken an interest
in the proposal. They
hoped that an official association would involve the
citizens of Winterset to assist the women with the
upkeep of the cemetery.
The
Winterset Cemetery Improvement Association was formed
on June 11, 1909 at a meeting held in the court room
of the Madison County Courthouse in Winterset at 3:00
p.m. A
full set of officers was elected and Articles of
Incorporation were written.
This Association still manages the care
of the cemetery.
|
|
After
a survey for the Cemetery Association was completed, the first
lot was sold to Fred Mardis on June 28, 1910, and the first
grave was dug on Lot 250 for the remains of S.O. Banker which
were moved from the Original Cemetery.
The first regular funeral was held on October 26, 1910,
when Edward W. Templeman was buried by Civil War Veteran
organization, the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.).
The
Cemetery Association made plans to extend and beautify the
“city of the dead.” Lots
which were overgrown had been cleared and in several instances
stones were found marking graves which had been concealed so
long that no one knew they were there.
While many lots had been carefully tended, they were
spoiled by an overgrown space nearby.
Uniformity was what the association’s goal and it
hoped to be able to interest non-residents in paying yearly
dues, initially set at $1.00.
The
date that the tool shed was built was not found, but on July
10, 1911, a fire destroyed the first tool house and contents.
The new tool shed cost $774.50 of which the Association
paid half with the City of Winterset paying the other half. In
the minutes of the annual meeting of the Improvement
Association, additional enhancements were noted including a
well to be dug near the new tool house and trees to be planted
to replace evergreen and hard maple trees that had died.
The
cemetery grounds have expanded considerable over these many
years. Records
show that the Original Cemetery of 1½ acres was purchased
from Otho and Jane Davis on May 10, 1855, for $20.00.
Thirteen additions have since been added between 1869
through 2006, and the cemetery consists of approximately 40
acres in 2016. The
1905 Addition consists of one row located just north of the
Original Cemetery. In
1975, an alley running through the 1910 Addition was closed
and became the one-row 1975 Addition, just south of the
Soldiers and Sailors Monument.
Baby Row or Babyland, located in the very northwest
corner just south of East Summit Street, was created in 1962.
CEMETERY
MONUMENTS
|
In
1913 workmen were busily engaged in erecting the
Crawford mausoleum in the cemetery for the family of
A.W. Crawford. It was built by a firm in
Buffalo, NY, is of Barre, Vermont granite, and is
finished on the inside with white marble and a stained
glass window in the north wall. It is a handsome
structure and was built with a permanency that was
calculated to stand through the ages of time. It
contains eight separate vaults or receptacles, faced
with white marble and trimmed in bronze. The
will of Mr. Crawford left instructions for the sum of
$500 to be paid to the Trustees of the Evening Star
Lodge A.F. and A.M. No. 43 of Winterset to be used to
keep the mausoleum, walks, vases, grass, plants, etc.
in good repair over the years. This money was
transferred to the Perpetual Care Fund of the
Improvement Association in 1989 which then assumed all
future responsibility for the care and maintenance of
the mausoleum.
|
 |
In
1919 The Madison County Supervisors favorably replied to a
petition by the War Memorial Association of Madison County to
levy a tax of one mil on the dollar on all taxable property in
Madison County for the purpose of erecting a soldiers’
monument in the Winterset Cemetery. The land for
the monument was, at that time, owned by the War Memorial
Association. The memorial was to be in memory of all
soldiers and sailors of Madison County. The Board of
Supervisors levied for $8,000 for the Soldiers Monument and
$8,050 was the amount needed to manufacture and put it in
place by Wilson & Clark of Winterset. The monument
stands in the center of the memorial plot rising 21 feet high.
The base, which is 14 feet high, is of Barre granite topped by
the figure of a WW I soldier which is cast in bronze.
This soldier is 7 feet high with his uniform and equipment in
exact detail. Chiseled in the pedestal are the words
“Erected by the People of Madison County, Iowa as a grateful
tribute to the memory of its soldiers and sailors.”
Granite markers at the base of the monument are arranged in
the shape of a star. The monument was unveiled on
Sunday, November 14, 1921, during a snow storm with bad roads
preventing many from attending the service; however, a long
line of autos joined the procession carrying patriotic
organizations along with other dignitaries. The parade
moved to the cemetery in the following order: Women’s
auxiliary to American Legion, Pitzer post G.A.R., Pitzer W.R.C.,
Red Cross representatives, flag bearers, and gold star
families.
|
In
1921 a new imposing gateway at the northwest entrance
to Rock City cemetery was erected which is built of
mat-faced polychrome brick in shades of red and brown.
The posts and connecting walls are capped with Bedford
stone. The main entrance for vehicles is
fourteen feet wide, flanked by eight foot posts which
were originally topped with wrought iron lanterns for
electric lights. Between these posts and the
connecting walls are foot gates about four feet wide.
The entire length of the structure is about 66 feet.
|
 |
|
On
Memorial Day of 1934 the Women’s Relief Corps
dedicated a shaft in honor of Winterset’s Pitzer
post of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) whose
members were Civil War veterans. The ceremony
took place in the old part of the cemetery where the
shaft is placed on the unknown soldier's plot near the
Crawford mausoleum. A row of Civil War soldiers
are buried to the south of the shaft.
|
 |
 |
In
1980, members of Winterset’s Green Rogers post of
the American Legion Post 184 started a county-wide
fund drive to raise money for a monument which is
located just north of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’
monument. This monument honors the dead from
World War II, the Korean Conflict, and Viet Nam. In
1960, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #8142 placed
memorial flag holders at each soldiers’ gravestones
for displaying flags at certain times of the year.
|
 |
|
|
The
Odd Fellows and Rebekahs were granted the right and
privilege of erecting and maintaining a memorial
structure in the cemetery in 1989. The memorial
was designed by Robert White of Des Moines Monument
Company with Bob Bass and Ted McDonald helping with
the overall planning. The lodge bought three
lots so there would be enough space to provide a good
perspective of the monument. It is located just
east of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ monument and is
dedicated to the lodge’s deceased members and their
work in our community. One side commemorates the
Odd Fellows and the other, the Rebekahs.
|
|
|
According
to cemetery records, a Baby Row was laid out in 1962
on the western part of the cemetery just south of East
Summit Street. The monument in this section is
inscribed “The Garden of the Innocent.” The
oldest grave found in the area is dated 1979.
|
|
|
The
Garden of Memories, a solid-stone Columbarium, was
added to the Winterset Cemetery in 2003 located north
of East Summit Street. The Columbarium
serves as a receptacle for cremains. The
structure, made of Barre gray granite, has 32 spaces
(niches) which will hold two cremation urns.
Each niche measures 12 inches by 12 inches by 18
inches in length. A feature memorial is located
adjacent to the columbarium including a flag pole and
flag. The underground wiring was installed and
provided by the Winterset electric department and the
flag pole and flag were donated by Veterans of Foreign
Wars Post #8142 of Winterset.
|
|
|
