Columbia Cemetery

Established in 1820, Columbia Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in the city and is one of only a handful in the state listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is 35 acres in size and contains the burials of many notable figures, including two Revolutionary War soldiers and several presidents of the University of Missouri. It also includes African-American and Jewish sections. Some of the African-American burials contain the remains of the 62nd U.S. Colored Infantry, which was one of the earliest all-Black regiments formed during the Civil War (some soldiers of the 65th regiment are buried here as well). The cemetery is also significant for its many historic grave markers, particularly those of the Victorian era. One of the most impressive burials is the Farley mausoleum, which was built in 1911 and features an arched entryway. The cemetery continues to offer burial lots today.

The cemetery was established a year before the city was incorporated in 1821. Six lots were designated as a common burial ground and, according to an account of the cemetery, people were buried almost immediately after it was created. In 1829, the owners of the six lots, Daniel and Elizabeth Wilcox, sold them to the trustees of the Corporation of Columbia. For the next thirty years, the burial ground was the only public cemetery in Columbia. However, over these years the city failed to properly maintain it and it fell into disrepair.

In 1853, the state legislature established the Columbia Cemetery Association which was granted the authority to manage the cemetery. In the coming years, the association bought adjacent properties to expand the cemetery and laid walks and roadways. The African-American section was created in 1873 as part of land purchase that year. Former members of the 62nd and 65th regiments established the Lincoln Institute in Jefferson City, which is now called Lincoln University. An organization called the Daughters of Union Veterans installed a monument to the Black soldiers in 2016.

The one-acre Jewish section was created in 1880 by the Columbia Hebrew Cemetery Association, which managed the section semi-independently. The section, which was next to Columbia Cemetery, came to be called Beth Olem ("house of eternity" in English) by 1900. Columbia Cemetery acquired Beth Olem in 1928. As of 1999, there were 84 graves in the Jewish section.

"History." Columbia Cemetery. Accessed April 22, 2022. http://www.columbiacemetery.org/history.html.

Latman, Scott. "Jewish Section of the Columbia Cemetery." 1999. http://www.columbiacemetery.org/jewishsection.pdf.

"U.S. Colored Infantry." Columbia Cemetery. Accessed April 22, 2022. http://www.columbiacemetery.org/colored_infantry.html.

Sheals, Debbie. "Columbia Cemetery." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. February 1, 2007. https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/63818342/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MO/06001335.pdf.