Bowen Cemetery is a small pioneer cemetery with under 300 interments. The oldest monument in the cemetery is that of Johann Kessler, 2 year old son of Sebastian and Scholastika Kessler, who died in 1839. The land was donated by the Bowen family, and the cemetery served the surrounding German farming community. The cemetery is still active.
St. Joseph Memorial Park is an endowed care cemetery and the only cemetery in the area with a trust fund to adequately maintain the cemetery for perpetuity. No matter what your choice for a final resting place may be, Memorial Park provides the largest variety of options. Traditional ground burial, community or family mausoleums, private family estates, veterans section, upright marker section and our unique Whispering Pines Cremation Garden and indoor Reflections Cremation Area offer families the answers to their final wishes they seek. Memorial Park has burial and cremation options to fit every family in our community.
For over 100 years, Mount Auburn Cemetery has provided families with a peaceful setting for their burial needs. With burial spaces to fit every family’s budget, Mount Auburn offer upright and flat marker sections for burial, as well as space for private family estates or mausoleums. The Veterans Field of Honor is special section reserved for veterans and their families.
In 1848, St. Joseph began to grow rapidly as a jumping off point for those heading west to find gold and broader horizons. The influx of people created a diverse and rather cosmopolitan community in what had been little more than a backwater trading post. A relatively large community of Jewish immigrants from Germany arose. Before long they established the Jewish Burial Society which opened Adath Joseph Cemetery at 3155 Beck Road (the cemetery predated the synagogue by the same name). This cemetery served as the primary burial place for members of the German Jewish community of St. Joseph and so many of the most prosperous members of the St. Joseph Jewish community were buried here. It is currently the least used of the three Jewish cemeteries and is suffering from the effects of deferred maintenance.It is said that Adath Joseph cemetery is the oldest Jewish cemetery west of the Mississippi, with its first burial taking place in 1843. The cemetery served Temple Adath Joseph and the German Jewish population.
Ashland was originally 2 separate cemeteries; Oakland and Ashland. Oakland was established in 1848, and Ashland was established in 1870. The two were joined in 1913. Notable interments are those of 2 pony express riders, Michael Whalen and John Phillip Koerner.
Shaare Sholem is a Jewish cemetery primarily serving the Jewish community of eastern european descent. The oldest burials date back to the late 1890’s.In the late 1880s St. Joseph had a large influx of Jewish immigrants from Russia who were fleeing the anti-Semitic violence that was washing across Eastern Europe at that time. This conservative community quickly founded Shaare Sholem temple, and in the 1890s they established the Shaare Sholem cemetery. In 1919, the congregation purchased an additional tract of land with plans to expand the size of the cemetery; however, neighboring residents objected to the expansion and the debate became quite heated. In 1949, architect Eugene Meier released the sketches for the chapel which was dedicated as the David Friedman Chapel in 1963. This community flourished and grew in St. Joseph for several decades and as one walks through the well-kept grounds you see many familiar names on the stones. Though most of the members of St. Joseph’s once large Jewish community have left the city, some come back in death and many are buried at Shaare Sholem.
Mt. Olivet was consecrated in 1895, becoming the more desirable Catholic cemetery over the original Calvary Cemetery. Mt. Olivet is one of the few cemeteries in St. Joseph that has headstones with porcelain memorial portraits that became particularly popular in the 1920’s and 30’s. Notable burials include Joseph Robidoux and his family.
Used as the city cemetery since the town’s conception, Sunbridge was platted in 1897. Very few headstones appear. The city cemetery was run by the Welfare Board, and provided decent burial to the poor and indigent. Due to the lack of headstones and records, it is unknown how many are buried in Sunbridge.
Founded in the mid 1800’s, this cemetery served the pioneer Maxwell family. The Maxwell’s were original settlers of the St. Joseph area, arriving shortly after the Platte Purchase. The church, road, and cemetery are all named after this original family. The cemetery is still used by descendants of the family.
Known as Felix’s Grave, more legend is attached to this cemetery than truth. The Liligers’ were farmers who owned the land near the old waterworks which is now the Sunbridge Conservation Area. James and his son Joseph both drowned in the waterworks in 1909 and are buried in the cemetery.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006, Mount Mora Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in St. Joseph, Missouri. It was established in the early 1850s to meet the needs of a growing town. People buried here include three Missouri governors, musicians, Civil War officers from both the Union and the Confederacy, Pony Express riders, and governors. Though it was primarily used by the rich, there is a variety of graves from mausoleums to simple headstones, showing the wide range of people interred in the cemetery. The mausoleums, of which there are 30, are particularly notable. Resembling small buildings, their ornate design reflects Egyptian and Classical architecture and the wealth of the those within them.
Founded in the 1850’s Calvary was the leading burial ground for the Catholic community in St. Joseph for about 40 years. The last burial took place in 1910, and was badly neglected until the 1960’s. Founder Joseph Robidoux and his family were originally buried here. All interments were moved to Mt. Olivet.
The land of the Odd Fellows Cemetery was donated by Georgetown Lodge No 627 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, which is where it received its name. The cemetery served the south end, receiving a high number of indigents and infants. The cemetery has been operating since the early 1900’s, and still is today.
Located behind Sparta United Methodist church, the cemetery and church is all that remains of the former county seat, Sparta. The current church was built in 1889, though an older church predated it. The cemetery is quite small, with under 400 burials, dating back to the 1840’s. The original, slightly older Sparta cemetery is located across the road in the middle of a field.
Turner Cemetery is located on land originally owned by pioneers Sarah Jane and Mary Ann Turner. The oldest headstone located in the cemetery is that of George Washington Turner, who died in 1860. Since that time, Turner Cemetery has served the small farming community of Wallace.
Located in the heart of DeKalb, Westlawn has been the burial ground for Bloomington Township for nearly 180 years. Notable burial is original buchanan county pioneer Hiram Roberts. Roberts came to the county in 1836 before the land was open to settlers, and had to evade capture by troops sent from Ft. Leavenworth to evict squatters.
Cemetery is located at the intersection of MO Hwy 116 (State Hwy M) & MO Hwy 253 (Bisel Rd SW). The owner of the cemetery is the Sugar Creek Christian Benevolent Burial Association. The Sugar Creek Christian Church across the road from the cemetery has no affiliation with, nor has any information about, the cemetery.
Nestled into the bluffs, Kerlin Cemetery is located on land that belonged to the Kerlin family. There are burials dating back to the mid 1840’s. Oddly enough, there are no stones indicating that any members of the Kerlin family are buried in their namesake cemetery. It is surrounded by the Bluffwoods Conservation Area.
King Hill Cemetery is the largest cemetery still serving the south end of St. Joseph. King Hill contains burials dating back to the early 1840’s, and is still in use today. Notable burials include Revolutionary War, Civil War, and War of 1812 veterans, and relatives of explorers Lewis and Clark.
This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.
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The St. Joseph Public Library Reference Department, in collaboration with the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau, present a tour of a small percentage of Buchanan County's cemeteries.
