Read more: Local, Community, Mt. Olivet Cemetary, Hannibal, Rick Florea, Linda Spaun, Volunteer
Mt. Olivet Cemetery chapel
/ Photo by: Chad Douglas
A living history lesson sits on the southside of Hannibal, even though it's filled with dead people.
Mount Olivet Cemetery was started in the 1870s as a garden cemetary.
At that time, the in thing was to treat cemeteries as parks.
In fact, people used to pack picnics and go have lunch in the cemetary.
Some board members of the cemetary want people to remember the beauty of this cemetery, and also recruit some volunteers to help with the upkeep.
The history lesson begins just about as soon as you enter the gates at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Mark Twain's parents, two brothers and a sister in law are buried here. So to are Injun Joe and his wife. Injun Joe was a character based on a man Twain new in Hannibal named Joe Douglass. He's no relation to me, but one of my grandfathers is buried here too. As is Admiral Robert Coontz. Besides the history that's here, how about the architecture of some of the stones.
"The stones are so individually different, just like the people who are buried here," says Rick Florea.
Take for example, this headstone. It looks like a tree trunk, but was built by the wife of William P. Harrison, who died in 1894. This headstone has also appeared in Ripley's Believe it or Not. One of the board members told me she thinks some of the best sculpture is Northeast Missouri is in this cemetery. And if you like natural beauty, Mt. Olivet is a good place to check out.
"The cemetery is full of trees that in the fall turn the most beautiful colors. We have a lot of dogwood in the spring. Any season, now with the snow. It's just a beautiful place," says Linda Spaun.
Linda Spaun is also part of the Friends of the Chapel arm of the Mt. Olivet Association. The chapel that sets on the property was built in the 1890s and still has its original roof.
"It's a beautiful place. it's very unique. I'm not aware of any other cemeteries that are around that have a chapel with the property," says Spaun.
A massive restoration was done on the chapel in the 1990s and two years ago some work was done on the roof to keep it in good working order. Funerals and weddings can be held here. To keep the chapel looking great, the Association could use some volunteer help cleaning it and it's always raising money to keep the chapel looking great. Money also comes in handy when it comes to the rest of the 150 acres of land.
"We have projects like mowing, trimming, upkeep of the roads, upkeep of the buildings," says Florea.
As it is now, the lot owners do a lot of the upkeep of the cemetary, but with so much land, and such magnificent headstones, you can imagine it takes a long time to tend to this cemetery the way its developers wanted it to be.
If you're interested in helping, either financially or with volunteer labor, you can call the office at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.
The number is 573-221-0655
