Jackson County cemeteries are rich in history and lore

For whatever reason, we just don’t seem to give our loved ones the kind of burials that our ancestors did.

A spare slab with an even sparer inscription says, “Yes, I love you dear. I’ll be back on Memorial Day.” But some of the grand old markers and monuments make total strangers stop and wonder, “Hey, who is this person? What’s their story?”

Here, with advice from John Mark Lambertson, director of the National Frontier Trails Museum, and Gary Toms, reference assistant at the Midwest Genealogy Center, are The Examiner’s Top 10 best Jackson County cemeteries to visit to appreciate the art of the tombstone as well as some local history.



10 Revolutionary War soldier graves.
OK, it’s not a single cemetery, but if you would like to see the graves of men who fought to bring the United States into existence, you can find a few here. Jeremiah Burnett is buried at the Blue Springs Cemetery, 2800 S.W. Walnut St., Blue Springs. Ledstone Noland is buried in the Pitcher Cemetery at Blue Ridge Boulevard and Blue Ridge Cut-off in southwest Independence. Nathaniel Lewis is buried at the Lewis-Gregg Cemetery in northeast Independence, adjacent to St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church on Blue Mills Road.



9 Sibley Cemetery, Sibley.
Some of the earliest graves in Jackson County are here. Some of the people buried at Sibley include soldiers who died while assigned to Fort Osage, along with many native Americans. Most of these early graves, however, are not marked.



8 Mound Grove Cemetery, 1818 N. River Blvd., Independence.
Joseph Smith III, the first president of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now the Community of Christ), and other church leaders are buried here.



7 Lobb Cemetery, 2515 Lobb Cemetery Road.
The first burial at Lobb took place in 1836 on land along a historic immigrant trail. Only 5 acres, it is significant because of its association with the settlement of Eastern Jackson County.



6 Union Cemetery, 227 E. 28th Terrace, Kansas City.
Union Cemetery was created in 1857 to provide more burial spaces for Westport and Kansas, since the cholera epidemic of 1849 had pretty much filled the existing cemetery space. Famous people buried there include George Caleb Bingham and J.C. McCoy, the founder of Westport.



5 Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery, 6901 Troost Ave., Kansas City.
Those buried here include Buck O’Neil, Satchel Paige, Tom Pendergast, several Civil War generals and Gov. Thomas Crittenden, who put a $10,000 reward out for the James Brothers.



4 Lee’s Summit Cemetery, 806 S.E. Third St., Lee’s Summit.
If you’re a fan of Quantrill’s Raiders, you can pay your respects here, since several members of the Civil War band are buried here. Also here are Cole, Jim and Bob Younger of the James-Younger Gang.



3 Woodlawn Cemetery, 701 S. Noland Road, Independence.     
The Stayton Family Cemetery, the St. Mary’s Cemetery and land dedicated in 1845 as burial land for Jackson County residents were combined in 1922 as Woodlawn Cemetery. It is one of the oldest continuously used cemeteries in the county. The distinctive stone wall, the sexton’s building and many outstanding markers make it notable. Among those buried at Woodlawn are frontier wagon makers Sam Weston and Hiram Young, early-day African-American entrepreneur and hotel operator Emily Fisher, and Bess Wallace Truman’s parents.

2 Elmwood Cemetery , 4900 Truman Road, Kansas City.
Elmwood has lots of striking monuments, and it’s the resting place of many prominent Kansas Citians, including members of the Armour family of  meatpacking fame, more than 50 ancestors of President Harry  S. Truman, and Daniel Muir, father of naturalist John Muir.

1 Mount Washington Cemetery, 614 S. Brookside Ave., Independence.
 Mount Washington has impressive mausole¬ums, towering markers and famous folks, including Kansas City Star founder William Rockhill Nelson, FBI director Clar¬ence Kelley, Medal of Honor recipient Charles Long and frontiersman Jim Bridger.