Director

January 1890 – Librarian Purd B. Wright suggested making use of Missouri State Law allowing for the establishment of a free public library.April 1890 – Mayor William M. Shepherd appointed 1st Board of Directors consisting of 9 members.The St. Joseph Library Association donated its entire collection (3,272 volumes) to the new library and subsequently dissolved thereafter.Founding as an Institution1890 – St. Joseph Public Library is formed as an institution.March 23, 1891 – The St. Joseph Public Library opened. Delay in opening due to volume of books in need of processing. At the time of opening the library housed 5510 books.

As a result of Missouri State Law permitting the St. Joseph School District to issue bonds on the vote of the citizens of St. Joseph, on March 31, 1900, a special election was held.  2,512 votes in favor, resulted in a building that the school district would share with the new free, public library. The building was designed by St. Joseph, Missouri’s foremost architect, Edmond Jacques Eckel.  His schooling at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts school in Paris is reflected in the building’s architectural style

Downtown St. Joseph Public Library 

A tour highlighting some of the locations mentioned in the historical fiction book A Deceptive Homecoming by Anna Loan-Wilsey. 

In March 1855, Frederick Smith donated nearly 2 acres to the newly formed city of St. Joseph for use as a public park. It was St. Joe’s first public park. It boasted ornate iron fencing, lighting, drinking fountains, and public art.After World War I, St. Joseph, like much of the nation, was looking forward. The drive was to embrace the new and the modern and to leave the past behind. In 1919, the city government decided that the time had come to leave behind the old city hall and municipal facilities located at Market Square and to create a modern Civic Center. The plan was to build a new City Hall and other municipal structures around a park, much like the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Voters approved the plan and the search for an appropriate site commenced.     Eventually, city leaders decided to enlarge the existing Smith Park to create the Civic Center. In order to do so, a large number of existing structures had to be acquired and demolished; a plan that proved controversial. Ninety-two parcels were condemned for the project. Among the structures demolished were the Knights of Columbus building and the Francis Street Baptist Church in addition to many residences and commercial structures.The Park Commission requested proposals for the project from landscape architects across the nation. The plans submitted envisioned a grand district with lovely plantings surrounded by museums, municipal buildings, and the library. It was to embody the ambitions and optimism of the city. The park was created and the new City Hall built (it opened in 1926), but the rest of the grand plan was never created, falling victim to the economic downturn.Though the plan for the grand Civic Center did not come to fruition, Civic Center Park was immediately popular and has been the site of large community gatherings. Candidates for political office gave speeches at the park. In July 1938 Governor Lloyd C. Spark spoke to an audience of more than 3,000. Thomas E. Dewey spoke in 1940. And when the time came to celebrate victory in World War II – Civic Center Park was the obvious choice of venue for the mass meeting.Civic Center Park is the location of choice for city festivals. In 1963, the Midland Empie Fall Arts Festival brought hundreds to the park. Every Spring, events associated with the Apple Blossom Festival occur there. Trails West! an arts festival designed to commemorate St. Joseph’s role in westward expansion was an annual event in August from 1993-2018. It brought thousands of people to the park to enjoy the art, food, and entertainment.The park has provided St. Joseph citizens with the opportunity to show enthusiasm for national sporting events. In 1934, a World Series Party was held, and more recently, annual “Red Rallies” have been held to illustrate the city’s support for the Kansas City Chiefs.The shade provided by the trees and the relief from the fountain make Civic Center Park a favorite place to cool off in the summer, prompting the 1944 Gazette to describe it as the city’s “back yard.”Civic Center Park provides a wonderful place to relax and enjoy views of the historic architecture of the Museum Hill Historic District and City Hall and is an easy walk to the attractions of charming downtown St. Joseph.

Located adjacent to historic City Hall, Civic Center Park is the site for many municipal events and celebrations. It is where St. Joseph gathers to remember its history, to celebrate the Chiefs, and to eat amazing barbeque. It is a lovely open space with trees, paths, and the wonderful dolphin fountain. It is also the site of several memorials to veterans and fallen first responders.

Civic Center Park & Smith Park

The courthouse is the third one to serve the county. The first, a simple log house,&nbsp;was built in 1841 in the town of Sparta. The second one, this time a brick structure,&nbsp;was built the next year in St. Joseph. It was used until 1871 when it was condemned, which prompted the construction of the current courthouse building. Unfortunately, it was severely&nbsp;damaged by a fire on March 28, 1885; only the exterior walls and dome survived. Insurance companies rejected requests to give the county full payment for the building (the county wanted to demolish what was left and build a new courthouse). Eventually, each side agreed to restore the building to what it was before the fire. Robert Ford was a member of James' gang and hoped that by killing James, he would receive a reward and forgiveness for past crimes. After the murder, he and his brother, Charles, who was in on the scheme, contacted authorities who immediately arrested them. The next day, they were charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to death by hanging. However, a short time after the trial, the governor at the time, Thomas T. Crittenden, pardoned them. Robert was murdered at age 30 in Colorado.

The Buchanan County Courthouse was erected in 1873 and holds significance as the only cruciform, Renaissance Revival courthouse in the state. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is also Missouri's second-largest courthouse, after the St. Louis Courthouse. The building features many artistic elements including a dome, large Corinthian columns, and porticos. The courthouse is also notable for being the site of the trial of Robert Ford, the man who killed infamous outlaw, Jesse James in April 1882 (see below for more details).

Buchanan County Courthouse 

Nestled in the midst of what was known as Market Square, St. Joseph's second City Hall stood as a magnificent testament to the city's architectural prowess. Constructed in 1873 by architects Stigers &amp; Boettner and builder R. K. Allen and stood on Second Street and Market Square. Made primarily of brick, the building featured semi-circular arches with cut stone trim and a tin roof painted in the South-Americo-Anaconda style. The building was an impressive 55 feet to the eaves and 92 feet to the top of the cupola.The ground floor served as a City Market House, the second floor housed city officials and lawyers, and the third floor was a large public space with, for that time, modern amenities. Four spacious stairways, one at each corner, provided access to all floors. This City Hall was notable in that it was considered an architectural and economic achievement at a cost of less than $50,000.

This elegant three-story building, constructed in 1873, occupied Market Square and spanned 70 feet on both Felix and Edmond Streets, extending 140 feet between them. Designed by Stigers &amp; Boettner and built by R. K. Allen, it featured brick construction with semi-circular arches and cut stone trim. The tin roof and tower caps were painted in the "South-Americo-Anaconda" style.

City Hall (2nd) and Market Square

The Tootle Opera House was constructed in 1871 and burned down in 2016.

Tootle Opera House

The Pacific House, located at the corner of Third and Francis Streets, was originally built in the winter of 1859-1860 with its main front on Francis Street. It cost $120,000 and had several proprietors over the years. After being destroyed by fire on December 15, 1868, it was rebuilt with its main front on Third Street and reopened on February 14, 1870. Architect Angelo W. Powell was the chosen designer for the new building. The building underwent repairs in December 1879, and the Kitchen Bros. reopened it on April 1, 1880. Much later the hotel became the Hotel Metropole. It survived until 1939 when it was razed.

The Pacific House shown was not the first, but the second iteration of the hotel to stand at 3rd and Francis Sts. After a fire decimated the property the industrious people of St. Joseph were determined to reconstruct a better hotel to serve all those who traveled through the buzzing city.

The Pacific House

: German speaking immigrants created the parish of Immaculate Conception and its complex of four structures on South 10th Street. The first baptism in the parish is recorded as occurring on Oct. 13, 1860. In 1868, the first Immaculate Conception church was erected on the site. The rectory and convent – the middle two of the four structures – were built in the 1870s, making them among the oldest structures in St. Joseph. The original church that stood on the site was quite modest and in 1906, the pastor, Father Linnenkamp suggested to the parish that a more impressive structure be built. The congregation raised $35,000 and Linnenkamp added $22,000 of his own money and the congregation turned to St. Joseph’s most famous architect, E.J. Eckel, to build the new church. The church was dedicated on January 16, 1910. What Eckel created is nothing less than a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture. At the time of its dedication, the News-Press described it: “The new Immaculate Conception Church is regarded as the most artistic ecclesiastical building in the West. Its design is a modernized Gothic, in which the essentials of that style are preserved without obstructing the view of the main alter, as is generally the case in churches of pure Gothic design. The body of the building is of gray vitrified brick and the trimmings, tracery, and castings are of Bedford stone, the approaches being, however, of New Hampshire granite. The roof is of slate, supported by steel. . . The interior ornamentation is of stucco, supported by steel. The altars, stations, and other furnishings harmonize in design and scheme with the character of the building and the effect is charming. All is delicate, subdued, and sweet and the atmosphere of sanctity pervades. . . . The chandeliers and brackets are of dull brass, while the sanctuary lamp is a wonderful bit of metal filigree done in gold. The pews, confessionals, communion railing and general woodwork are of oak. The altars are exquisite examples of the woodworkers’ craft coated with white enamel and tipped with gold.” Among its most striking elements are the stained-glass windows from Innsbruck, Austria depicting the life of Mary. The interior frescoes by Theodore Brash were completed in December 1916. The church towers over much of the city due to its location on a hill and the impressive 146-foot height of the spires; giving the site its local name, “Twin Spires.”From 1867, there was a school as part of the site; the structure on the southeast corner of 10th and Messanie Streets was once the school. In 1889, the school had an enrollment of about 400 students. In 1968 the Diocese of Kansas City/St. Joseph announced that it was considering the closure of the school due to low enrollment (at that time it had 120 students being taught by four nuns).At the northeast corner of 10th and Angelique, where a parking lot is now located, was once the parish hall and also served as a part of the school. It was demolished in 1957.In 1978, the parish of SS. Peter and Paul was closed and merged with Immaculate Conception; the new parish was renamed Queen of the Apostles. In 1992, the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City/St. Joseph decided to close the Queen of the Apostles parish and planned to demolish the four buildings of the complex. Community outcry and activism convinced the Diocese to deed the complex to the newly formed Twin Spires Inc. along with a grant of $75,000. The grant was matched by the City of St. Joseph and the funds were utilized to rehabilitate the school building for use by a group working with the mentally challenged. For a time, the rectory served as a group home and the church itself was a popular wedding and event venue as well as a museum to the religious history of St. Joseph. Unfortunately, that was not the end of the story. Since that time, all of the structures have suffered badly from neglect and vandalism and their future is in real doubt. There are plans to convert the church into a Pro-Life shrine, but currently it is also deteriorating.

In the 1870s, a large community of German Catholics called St. Joseph home. They formed the Immaculate Conception Parish and a substantial complex of four structures were built on South 10th Street. As the newer immigrants came to the city from Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe, initially they worshipped at Immaculate Conception. But they became dissatisfied with the German-language services and formed their own parish of SS. Peter and Paul on Messanie Street. When SS. Peter and Paul was closed in 1978; the alters from that church were installed at Immaculate Conception.

Immaculate Conception

St. Joseph began to be settled sometime before 1830 when fur trader Joseph Robidoux founded a trading post for the American Fur Company. He eventually bought the company's interest in the post in 1830. The location attracted him and other settlers because it was where Blacksnake Creek and Missouri River met. Robidoux filed a plat for the city in 1843 and the city quickly grew (the Platte Purchase of 1837, which opened up Northern Missouri to white settlement, facilitated this growth). When gold was found in California in 1848, St. Joseph became the starting point for the Oregon Trail.  As St. Joseph grew, the need for a local cemetery became apparent. Sadly, disease was prevalent and many people died even before starting off on their journeys west. Residents buried their loved ones on their own property or in cemeteries in other parts of the county. Finally, a civil engineer and businessman named Simeon Kemper bought land for the cemetery. Its naturalistic setting and design made it a popular burial place. It does not appear that it is open to more burials.Established in 1851 and redesigned by noted architect W. Angelo Powell in 1872, Mount Mora Cemetery spans twenty acres and is a beautiful example of the rural garden cemetery movement in landscape architecture. Mount Mora was the preferred burial place for the city’s elite who could afford to hire architects to design their grave markers. The cemetery possesses a significant collection of funerary art including elaborate headstones, as well as twenty-one mausoleums that house some of St. Joseph’s most influential citizens, lining what is known as “Mausoleum Row.”  Not only a final resting place for the city's elite, within the gates of Mount Mora is a significant cross section of St. Joseph history, including approximately 280 civil war veterans, three Missouri governors, Pony Express riders, writers, inventors, musicians, the first licensed embalmer/funeral director in the U.S., and many more. Though its architectural significance hinges on the monuments to the city’s elite, its history is enhanced by the life stories of all those who are buried there.

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.  

Mount Mora Cemetery

The son of a planter and preacher, Jesse James, grew up on a 100-acre plantatoin tended at ties by free workers and seven people who were enslaved by his father. An outwardly religious child and young man, many believed he might become a minister like his father. Instead, James lived a life of thievery and violence against Unionists, enslaved people, and free Black Americans.Although Missouri remained part of the Union as a border state during the war, James and his family passionately supported the South. Frank James, Jesse's brother, fought as a Confederate soldier at the Battle of Wilson's Creek before joining Confederate guerrillas and raiders; Missouri and eastern Kansas endured numerous brutal guerrilla battles that included harming civilians and destroying towns. Union soldiers visited the James homestead in 1863, seeking information on Confederate guerrillas. The soldiers allegedly hurt some of the James family and threatened them. As a result, an angry Jesse James joined his brother in guerrilla raids,James survived a bullet to the chest during an attack in the summer of 1864, which allowed him to join a September raid in Missouri referred to as the Centralia Massacre. James joined eighty men in killing and mutilating more than 100 Union soldiers. James took credit for killing Union commander Major Andrew "Ave" Johnston. He learned as a guerrilla soldier how to plan an attack, act swiftly, flee, and then hide, all skills he used as a criminal after the war. Historian James McPherson's recent book This Mighty Scourge includes an essay with Jesse James' biographer T. J. Stiles. Together, the two historians take on the myth of Jesse James as a hardscrabble outlaw. Jesse James refused to take the Confederate defeat lightly. He again healed from a gunshot wound at war's end. His cousin and future wife, Zerelda Mimms, nursed him to health while his former guerrilla mates robbed banks and stagecoaches; James later joined them and began his life of crime. His resentment for the Union Army materialized during an 1869 bank robbery where he shot the cashier because James believed him to be the man who killed James' former commander a month after the Centralia Massacre. After three years of robbing banks, James' choice to shoot the cashier in 1869 as an act of Civil War revenge put Jesse James' name in the papers for the first time. James also wrote letters to Kansas City Times editor and Confederate sympathizer John Edwards in which he explained his innocence and rationale for his actions. Edwards happily published the letters and added his own editorials that praised Jesse James as a Robin Hood figure and hero of the resistance against the Union during Reconstruction when the federal government took control of the Missouri government.All told, Jesse lived a life of crime for sixteen years. He maintained his innocence, comparing himself to such historical military commanders as Napoleon, Julius Caesar, and Alexander the Great. The "James Gang" robbed banks, stagecoaches, trains, and even a county fair in Kansas City. Although the famed Pinkerton Detective Agency began their pursuit of the James brothers and the gang in 1871, the outlaws never feared any repercussions, and James appeared to feed off the attention he received. Confederate sympathizers sheltered the gang, allowing them to elude authorities.However, Jesse and Frank James appeared to let their egos get the best of them in 1876 when the gang traveled nearly 500 miles from their safe haven to rob a bank in Northfield, Minnesota. Although Frank and Jesse escaped, the town and law enforcement responded to the robbery by killing two of the gang and hunting down the rest. Thus, Jesse and Frank had to escape to Tennessee and live under assumed names; Jesse took the name "Thomas Howard," and Frank became "B. J. Woodson."The Northfield bank robbery debacle served as the first step towards Jesse James' downfall, ending with his death at his home in St. Joseph. Though his gang began as a southern-sympathizing movement, the death and arrests of his partners in Minnesota forced Jesse to recruit new men into the gang. Thus, instead of planning crimes with former war comrades, he associated with simple criminals who had no fondness for the former Confederacy (the war had been over for a decade by that time). Jesse James never fully trusted his new "friends," and his instincts eventually proved correct. In 1882, James, living under his alias, moved his family back to St. Joesph. Unbeknownst to him, one of his two new men, Robert Ford, had already talked with Missouri Governor Thomas Crittenden and arranged to collect $10,000 for killing Jesse James.On April 3, 1882, Robert Ford shot and killed Jesse James in the home that now serves as a museum. Although Ford and his brother were found guilty of murder, Crittenden pardoned them. Still, they never received the reward money. Meanwhile, Frank eventually turned himself into authorities but, was aquitted in several trials in various states. He went on to live a quiet life, dying naturally.More than a century after Ford shot Jesse James, in 1995, forensic scientist James Starrs exhumed the outlaw's body at Kearney, Missouri, for DNA tests, which confirmed it was James' body. Visitors can now see artifacts from the grave at the museum, which include coffin handles, a small tie pin Jesse James was wearing the day Ford shot him, and a bullet that entered one of James' lungs.The Pony Express Historical Association manages the Jesse James Museum. Admission fees directly support the maintenance of the James home and the adjacent Patee House Museum.

The museum, adjacent to the historic Patee House Museum, was once home to the outlaw Jesse James, and it was here where he was shot and killed at 34 years old in 1882. James lived here with his wife and children under the fictitious name of Tom Howard. As he stood on a chair to straighten a picture hanging on the wall, a member of his gang, Bob Ford, shot and killed James to collect the $10,000 reward offered by Missouri Governor Tom Crittenden. Today, the home is a museum with numerous artifacts and memorabilia associated with Jesse James, a man who justified his many murders and robberies as a means of supporting the Confederacy while also refusing to accept the results of Reconstruction.

Jesse James Home Museum

Krug Park is one of the oldest public parks and largest in St. Joseph, starting as a 20-acre gift of land to the city in 1888 by businessman Henry Krug Sr. and his brother William. The Krugs stipulated no intoxicating beverages were to be sold on the grounds, nor any gambling permitted. After another 20-acre donation, the park opened to the public on September 1, 1888. On the day of the park’s opening, St. Joseph citizens could pay a 10-cent round-trip fee to take the electric street cars to and from the new park. The Krug family made additional gifts of land, ultimately increasing the size of the park to its current 162-acres.           The park gained popularity quickly as a place for sightseeing and attending free concerts. During the winter months, ice skating in the park became a popular activity, people of all ages went to the park to skate with friends and family. After Krug’s first winter, landscaping and building efforts began. This early phase of the park’s development was largely the brainchild of the Superintendent of the Parks Department from 1887-1917, Rudolph Rau. Under Rau an ambitious landscaping program was undertaken, a large greenhouse built, and and a charming bandstand erected. Krug Park became the place to go on a summer’s evening to enjoy the flowers and enjoy live music, including an opera sponsored by the St. Joseph Traction and Lighting Company in June 1895!            By 1890, the park had achieved popularity for outdoor activities, giving the citizens of St. Joseph a place to stroll and to enjoy an escape from the growing city. That year, the Park Board proposed the addition of a menagerie to Krug Park’s attractions. The plan was to initially introduce an elephant, with the restriction that it was not permitted on the grass. The menagerie opened in 1896 and remained a popular attraction for many years.            Prior to the First World War, Krug Park was the site of two murders. In September 1895, Lafe Holland, a paper hanger, was stabbed when he was attacked by a group of five men. Thomas F. Harris killed his sweetheart, Madeline Rowbotham at the entrance to the park in July 1913. Harris, a 29-year-old streetcar conductor was angry that Madeline had refused to marry him and was seeing another man. He ambushed her and slit her throat with a razor. Despite these tragic events, the park’s popularity remained strong, and development of its many amenities continued.           The 1920s were a period of real changes in the appearance of Krug Park. The Parks Board with the assistance of George Burnap began planning the installation of several of its largest features, the Refectory and Children’s Circus, the Krug Park Bowl, and the lagoon.           In 1922, the Children’s Circus was completed. This was an elaborate play area featuring two 42-foot slides. That same year work began on the Renaissance-style structure known as the Refectory; it was intended to be a grand concession stand. 	Kug Park’s amphitheater, the Krug Park Bowl, was completed in 1926 after five years of planning and construction. Designed by noted landscape architect George Burnap, the Bowl takes advantage of the natural landscape in the park. Krug Park Bowl is immense, with room for 40,000. Two years after its construction, the Bowl hosted a grand undertaking: the Passion Play. Scheduled for August 13, 1928, and the following eight days, this immense project required significant support from the St. Joseph community. This was to be the first American presentation of the Passion Play. With more than 150 sponsors and a cast of 1200, the anticipated audience numbers were projected to be the largest in St. Joseph’s history. The city requisitioned a large number of sheep and purchased two camels, horses, a camel, a monkey, and a donkey to add to the spectacle. The play was entirely in German, with a 60-person cast from Germany, and supporting players from St. Joseph and Kansas City. Over the course of the nine-day showing, an estimated 100,000 attendees went to watch this grand display. Despite the high attendance and the entry fees ranging from fifty cents to two dollars, the play’s expenses vastly exceeded the amount earned. This was not to say that the play was anything short of a phenomenon, however, as its memory still lives on.	One of the most beloved features of Krug Park, the lagoon, was constructed in 1928 and was ready for ice skating in January 1929. The 3-acre pond quickly became a favorite place to watch waterfowl and paths around its shores still attract walkers.	The attractions at Krug Park changed over the years, and the park became less formal. The menagerie closed, many of the elaborate plantings disappeared, and the greenhouse was demolished. They were replaced by playgrounds, picnic tables, and more extensive walking trails. Krug Park is fondly known as St. Joseph’s Crown Jewel and is one of the most popular parks in the city.

Spanning an impressive 162 acres, Krug Park is one of the oldest and most developed parks in St. Joseph. Among the amenities offered by the park are picnic areas and shelters, an amphitheater, an Italianate-style “castle”, playgrounds, scenic walking trails, and a lagoon that is regularly stocked for fishing. This charming park also boasts a history of holiday cheer. Between Thanksgiving and January 1, Krug is transformed into “Holiday Park,” filled with wonderful lights and decorations to drive through. An ambitious improvement program is underway for the park, funded by Parks Tax funds. What is already a wonderful place to spend a day is going to be truly spectacular!

Krug Park

Over the course of St. Joseph’s history, the Catholic community has been served by 2 cemeteries: Calvary and Mt. Olivet. Only Mt. Olivet is still in existence.Beginning in the mid 1850’s, Calvary Cemetery was the leading burial ground for the Catholics of St. Joseph, including town founder Joseph Robidoux and his family. Calvary quickly began to fill up and began to fall into a state of disrepair. By 1890, complaints were being made by community members on the lack of upkeep. One citizen wrote to the Catholic Tribune in the summer of 1891 “This graveyard is badly neglected. The grass and weeds in many places require cutting […] instead of walks, there is a few uneven paths; no taste displayed in any way […] The sexton is fully doing his duty, but one man cannot do much.” In 1894 Bishop M. F. Burke of the St. Joseph diocese purchased land on Lover’s Lane for a new cemetery stating that “the location of Calvary has never been desirable.” The new Catholic cemetery was consecrated on May 30th, 1895 with Frank Browne, an early settler of St. Joseph, being the first interment. Many families began moving their loved ones from the old Calvary Cemetery to the newer, more desirable, Mt. Olivet. The most notable, and perhaps dramatic, reinterment was that of Joseph Robidoux and his family in 1908. Heavy rains first delayed progress, then the lack of headstones or records made it necessary to excavate the entire lot. After digging all day on August 13th, workers were left with more questions than answers. The metallic coffin that was described in accounts of Robidoux’s funeral in 1868 was not located. One grave was found to be empty, while another contained two skeletons. Two days later the St. Joseph News Press ran the article “Soon Will Have Body- Grave of Joseph Robidoux is Probably Found.” but heavy rains again halted progress. After exhuming everyone from Robidoux’s plot and failing to locate the metal casket, exhumations were extended to neighboring plots. By the 22nd all who had been exhumed in the search for Robidoux had been moved to Mt. Olivet, but the metal casket had still not been found. No further updates were given. The last burial took place at Calvary Cemetery in April of 1910, after which it fell into a state of utter neglect. Nearly 50 years later, Bishop John P. Cody of the Catholic diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph asked for Calvary Cemetery to be vacated fully. By 1963 the Calvary property was sold to the Steele Trucking Co. and all burials uncovered during the grading work were reburied in Mt. Olivet. The land was ultimately never developed and remains an empty field.

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.

Hattie Davish Tour

Downtown St. Joseph Public Library

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context