For a little bit of Halloween trivia, we enjoyed an article about Union Cemetery, Missouri’s oldest public burial place.
Union Cemetery sits on 27 acres of land at 227 E. 28th Terrace.
The parks department tells us it got many of its permanent residents in the 1850s, following a cholera epidemic that filled up cemeteries of both the towns of Westport and Kansas City. Both cities needed more space for bodies.
The search ended when a new “union cemetery” – serving both towns – was built.
“When Union Cemetery was dedicated, it was thought that the 49 acres would accommodate all the deceased in Westport and Kansas City for all times. Little did city leaders suspect that Westport and Kansas City would become one community and that Union Cemetery would lie in the midst of a busy metropolitan area,” according to a parks department article.
More information
Union Cemetery Historical Society
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