Institution

Park's Egyptian Revival mausoleum, called Oak Crest Abbey, is located off the main entrance and drive and can be visited. Many of the individual family mausoleums and gravestones throughout the cemetery are fashioned out of local limestone, Unfortunately, several late 19th century cast iron urns made by the former Carthage Foundry (see Clio entry for company) and used at graves, including the foundry's owners' grave, have been stolen. Numerous Woodmen of the World markers can be found in the older sections (those to south of main entrance/drive).Among the notables buried here is R. Marlin Perkins, zoologist and television personality, who grew up in Carthage (Carthage High School Class of 1923; see Clio entry for Central Park and Perkins House, 902 S. Main).

Mausoleum at Park Cemetery constructed of Carthage limestone.

Perkins family marker in Park Cemetery. Joseph Perkins was a long-time county judge in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is the father of zoologist and television personality R. Marlin Perkins.

Grave marker for R. Marlin and Carol Perkins in Park Cemetery near the Perkins family stone. 

Park Cemetery is full of old trees and is a great spot to view fall color that Carthage is known for throughout the region. An annual festival (3rd Saturday of October) is called Maple Leaf Festival and takes place throughout town.

Digitization on "Clio" is part of Powers Museum's "Digital Carthage" project in honor of Carthage's 175th Anniversary Celebration (March 28, 2017 through March 27, 2018).

Funding for the Walking in the Wards tour was made possible by a grant from the Missouri Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, Spring 2017.

More Info

Civil War Picket blog on the burial of R. G. Rombauer

Carthage Hall of Heroes entry on Timothy Regan.

MO Digital Archives image of gravestones in Park Cemetery.

Carthage's largest cemetery was established in 1879 by Timothy Regan and later developed by his son Samuel. Park Cemetery also is home to the local Grand Army of the Republic post's Civil War monument and burial section for Civil War veterans (see Clio entry for GAR Monument). Other Civil War veterans are buried throughout the cemetery outside the GAR plot including Raphael G. Rombauer who died in 1912 but whose remains were not interred until 2015 once they were discovered and claimed by a family descendant (1). Other military veterans are buried throughout the cemetery and Memorial Day services are held annually.

Park Cemetery, 801 South Baker Street

Director

This tour features selected addresses from Carthage's Ward Three on the far westside of town (except Powers Museum - Ward 2 and 66 Drive-in - outside City Limits). 
The digital sites on this Clio app were originally created by a grant project funded by the Missouri Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2017-18 as part of the Powers Museum's observation of Carthage's 175th anniversary. Other addresses in this tour may be added in the future by volunteers. Contact the Powers Museum for further information. www.powersmuseum.org

Park's Egyptian Revival mausoleum, called Oak Crest Abbey, is located off the main entrance and drive and can be visited. Many of the individual family mausoleums and gravestones throughout the cemetery are fashioned out of local limestone, Unfortunately, several late 19th century cast iron urns made by the former Carthage Foundry (see Clio entry for company) and used at graves, including the foundry's owners' grave, have been stolen. Numerous Woodmen of the World markers can be found in the older sections (those to south of main entrance/drive). Among the notables buried here is R. Marlin Perkins, zoologist and television personality, who grew up in Carthage (Carthage High School Class of 1923; see Clio entry for Central Park and Perkins House, 902 S. Main).

Located inside Park Cemetery, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Memorial and plot was dedicated in 1906. 

Grand Army of the Republic Memorial, inside Park Cemetery, 800 South Baker Boulevard

Soldiers were never buried at this memorial. Those who died during the Battle of Carthage were first buried in what is now Central Park (see Clio entry for park, 700 South Garrison Avenue). Those remains were exhumed and reburied at the National Cemetery in Springfield, Missouri, when the City of Carthage decided to create Central Park.  According to a 1919 article of the Carthage Evening Press, the Soldiers' Monument Association of Carthage when first incorporated included: Mary Montague President, Cinderella Mealey, vice-president, Lucinda Hampton, secretary; George Howenstein, treasurer, Lou Reid, Anne Clayton, Siddie Garlock, Laura Douglass, Emma Twitchell, Lizzie Stafford, Emma Sanderson, T. B. Tuttle, L. V. Cupp, A. B. Parkell, and E. J. Montague. (1) This entry created in honor of Carthage's 175th Anniversary Celebration exhibit featuring selected artifacts and archival pieces on display at the Powers Museum during 2017. Funding for Neighborhood History digital project was made possible by a grant from the Missouri Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, Spring 2017.

The monument, which memorializes the soldiers who died in the Battle of Carthage in July 5, 1861, was dedicated on August 16,1905. Located in the south west corner of Oak Hill cemetery, the monument was erected by the Carthage Soldiers' Memorial Association, of which Mrs. Cinderilla F. Mealey was President. 

The monument can be seen from Interstate 49 on the west side of Carthage when going north on the highway. Access to the 23 foot high Carthage limestone memorial is from Budlong Street and not from the cemetery's Oak Hill Cemetery Road main entrance. Land for Oak Hill Cemetery was donated by Dr. James Carter who lived on the east side of town above Carter Park (see Clio entry for Carter Park). Also, part of his home property is now the Battle of Carthage State Historic Site (see Clio entry for same).  

 Battle of Carthage Monument, Oak Hill Cemetery, 1600 Block of West Budlong Street (northside)

All of the original structures and park features for Municipal Park were courtesy various New Deal programs including the lesser-known National Youth Administration that conducted a training project for young boys to construct flagstone, limestone slab and concrete sidewalks along Oak Street from Baker Boulevard to the park's entrance. These sidewalks served the community until recent years when they were replaced with new concrete sidewalks. The former tennis courts have been converted to additional picnic areas with modern shelters. The Carthage limestone bathhouse at the outdoor pool, was constructed of local limestone. The original golf course has been expanded throughout the years, just like the park itself. (By 1960, the park had grown to more than 200 acres.) In 1968, Ralph Johnson, Frank Ford Jr., Harry M. Cornell Jr., and James Smallwood purchased additional acreage to expand the golf course and Rev. Thomas Hardaway of Grace Episcopal Church was the first golfer on the expanded 18 hole course. Many of the park's facilities have benefited from numerous grants throughout the years from the previously mentioned Helen S. Boylan Foundation and from the Kent and Mary Steadley Trust.

Planning for Municipal Park began in 1934-35 by the City of Carthage with the assistance of landscape architects Hare & Hare of Kansas City, Missouri (1). Original plans called for construction of a swimming pool, picnic pavilions, baseball fields, 9 hole golf course, tennis courts and band shell. The field rock and concrete Carl Lewton Stadium at the park was first completed as the park's amphitheater in 1937. Funding for the construction was provided by the Works Project Administration (WPA) that was part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal Program. The stadium originally held 3,000 spectators. 

In June 1998, the Helen S. Boylan Foundation provided new playground equipment along with improvements to the skating rink (former dance pavilion) and Kiddieland. The latter is a small children's amusement park operated by the Carthage Kiwanis Club during summer at the eastern edge of the park. A carousel has been added to Kiddieland in recent years. 

Over the years, the park has hosted its share of community events. In 1937, more than 30,000 people came for a two-day 4th of July celebration and park dedication presided over by former Carthage resident Thomas M. Sayman (2). During World War II, servicemen stationed at Camp Crowder, near Neosho, Missouri, used the park for much needed recreation. The park also sits along former U. S. Highway 66 (also known as Route 66) and provided its facilities for travelers of the "Mother Road."

Municipal Park,1800 Oak Street

Powers Museum was created through a bequest from the Marian Powers Winchester Estate. Opened in 1988, the museum holds over 10,000 items in its artifact and archival collections from which different exhibits are created every two years. The museum presents educational programming and participates in community events that can be found on the museum's website or it's Facebook page. The museum has published two books of historical photographs in the Arcadia Publishing's Images of America Series. The museum's name honors Dr. Everett Powers and Mrs. Marian Wright Powers, parents of Marian Powers Winchester, who was the museum's benefactor. She left her estate to establish a museum for the residents and visitors of Carthage, Missouri. More biographical information on the Powers Family can be found at the museum's website.

This local history museum was established in 1988 and includes rotating exhibits and programs that preserve, interpret, and share the history of Carthage. Also the museum includes a local history library in addition to a gift shop. The museum is located on the for  historic Jefferson Highway auto trail and former U. S. 66 as known as Route 66. Staff and volunteers are happy to offer area tourist information for visitors in addition to information about the history of Carthage. The museum is open seasonally, from April through last Saturday in October. The 2019 exhibit focus is Carthage and Jasper County during World War One.

Powers Museum, 1617 Oak Street

Televisions became the new devices in the 1950s which put them in contention with movie theaters. Before TVs, it was mainly the radio and cinema that kept the general population entertained. This caused movies to go to a widescreen format in order to become more unique. The wider screen allowed for a more better and unique experience for audiences to see everything more up close. This new direction for theaters would result in the invention of drive-in theaters in order to further the development of movie theaters past World War II.In 1949, the 66 Drive-In became one of the first drive-in movie theaters in the country. There was 4,000 drive-in theaters established and opened to start with. Customers could drive their vehicles into the lot and be able to watch the movie directly from their car. There was also a concession stand for refreshments and snacks to enjoy. The movie screen would be widened in 1953.The drive-in theater would close down briefly in 1985 for repairs and renovations. It would reopen for business in 1998. The modern design for the 66 kept many similarities to the original design and poles were added in with attached loud speakers for better audio for those wanting to listen with windows down. An old design of the 66 could be seen in Pixar’s Cars. The movie theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Built in 1949, the 66 Drive-In is an outdoor, car drive-in movie theater and was one of over 4,000 drive-in theaters that were opened during the post-World War II years. The concession stand/projection booth and ticket booth were designed in the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne styles. A series of poles put into the land were used to hold loudspeakers for better audio. The theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Carthage Westside, Ward 3 - Neighborhood History Project

Park Cemetery, 801 South Baker Street

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information