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History of

Union Park

Cemetery

Chaffee, Missouri

1915

Chaffee Signal  3/5/1915

CHAFFEE UNION PARK

CEMETERY ASSOCIATION

Is the Name of the New Organization to Have Charge of Our "City of the Dead" -- Now Assured.

After nine years of vain attempts to establish a cemetery for this city, several of our leading citizens have succeeded in getting together and forming an association to establish a cemetery.  The land is located on the Farris place 1/4 mile from town on a beautiful west hill slope, just far enough from town for a walk on a Sunday afternoon.  It has been surveyed and the plat is being made.  The Kelso road which had three off-sets to the site of the cemetery has been widened and straightened, and otherwise improved so as to make a more favorable front entrance.  The timber is being felled and the ground cleared.

The directors will be in a position to sell lots by the 1st or 15th of April.  It has been very hard to establish a cemetery here, everybody has said we need a cemetery but no one has been willing to finance one.  Now that these citizens have given their money and their time to develop the project, let all us help them by buying lots and enabling them the clear the ground and fence it, and otherwise improve it.

In order to show the nature of the organization, we print the articles of agreement entered into by the citizens who have formed the association.

Articles of Agreement Entered into Under the Provision of Art. X, Chap. 33 R. S. 1909.

Desiring to form a cemetery association and establish a public cemetery for the benefit of the citizens of Chaffee, County of Scott, State of Missouri, and desiring to incorporate said association so as to be able to acquire land and legally sell the same, the share holders have entered into the following agreement:

Sec. No. 1.  The name of the association shall be "Chaffee Union Park Cemetery Association".

Sec. No. 2.  Its location shall be in Kelso Township, Scott County, State of Missouri.

Sec. No. 3.  Its duration shall be 99 years.

Sec. No. 4.  The corporation shall have as its object the establishing and maintaining of a public non-sectarian cemetery or place of burial.  It is expressly understood that all religious denominations, all fraternal societies and other similar bodies shall be permitted to conduct their respective burial ceremonies in this cemetery and afterwards erect their respective emblems on their lots.  This corporation shall purchase real estate, lay out lots, driveways and pathways on same, and shall sell lots and give legal title for the same, and make other investments as may properly come within the scope of a cemetery association.  They shall be empowered to make provisions for the perpetual care of the said cemetery and to contract necessary debits to improve the site for cemetery.  The cemetery shall be conducted for the convenience of the citizens of the community.

IN WITNESS THEREOF, we have hereunto set our hands,

H.F. STUBBS, L.L. COLLIER, JOHN KAY, ESSNER BROS., A.H. SLAGLE & CO., DR. W.O. FINNEY

It will be noticed that this is a public, union, perpetual care, cemetery.  This means that it will be open to all.  All the churches, lodges and religious and civic bodies will co-operate to help make things go.  The men whose names are signed to the above articles are the directors of the association and if they ask you to buy a lot, please remember how badly we need a cemetery.  The association now has $150 for improvements, and needs $600 more, that is why you may be asked to buy a lot so soon.  Provisions will be made for a Potters' Field, about 500 single graves being provided for that purpose.

 

Chaffee Signal  4/2/1915

UNION PARK ASSOCIATION MEETS

 

The Chaffee Union Park Association met Wednesday evening and perfected the organization and elected officers.  The following were elected:

Dr. W.O. Finney, President; A.H. Slagle, Vice-President; John Kay, Secretary; Theo. Essner, Treasurer; Lee Collier, Superintendent of Cemetery; H.F. Stubbs, Manager.

The ground is now clear and the fence is being erected, the Cemetery will soon be completed.

At the meeting a beautiful arch with double gates was bought, also 250 feet of ornamental fencing.  This will be erected and painted white which will set the cemetery off splendidly.

 

 

Chaffee Signal  7/30/1915

UNION PARK CEMETERY

OPENS NEXT SUNDAY

FOR VISITORS

The Union Park Cemetery which has been completed for some time, will be open next Sunday for visitors.  All who care to go are welcome.  The grounds are in better shape now and the place is looking very good.

The donations to the cemetery are as follows and the directors earnestly ask others to contribute or buy a lot to help pay back the $1700 that has been expended:

St. Maragret's Guild, Episcopal, $5.00

Masonic Lodge, $10.00

Ben Hur Lodge, $5.00

Eastern Star, $5.00

First National Bank, $10.00

Firemans Lodge, $10.00

W.C.T.U., $5.00

Total $50.00

A benefit night will be given at the Pullman Theatre soon and we hope to raise some money that way.

W.O. Finney, Pres.

Jno. Kay, Sec'y

 

 

 

Chaffee Signal  11/12/1915

CHAFFEE UNION PARK CEMETERY ASSN. AFFAIRS

SATISFACTORY

The Association Recently Granted Articles of Incorporation by the Secretary of State

The regular meeting of the Chaffee Union Park Cemetery Association was held last week and the affairs were found to be in a satisfactory condition.  The financial troubles were the only cloud and they will soon be dissolved, according to the plans now laid.

The Secretary of State recently granted articles of incorporation to the Association.  In the past year the Association has raised and expended $2,000 a full report of which will soon be published, as well as a list of those who have helped by buying lots and by donations.  All the citizens of Chaffee are invited to visit the cemetery Sunday or any day and inspect the grounds.

 

 

 

The Article reprinted below is from the CHAFFEE LEADER newspaper, issue of September 1, 1955.  This issue of the paper contained a lot of old Chaffee history.

 

 

Chaffee Leader  9/1/1955

UNION PARK CEMETERY

BEGAN IN 1915

In 1915 Stock was bought in the Union Park Cemetery by six men, L.L. Collier, Henry Stubbs, T.A. Essner, Alvin Papin, Dr. W.O. Finney, and John Kay, a representative of the Catholic Church.

They purchased the land for the cemetery from John M Farris, who was an engineer on the Railroad at that time.

To start the cemetery, about 3 bodies were moved from the Old Dennis Cemetery, located between Chaffee and Oran, and moved to the Union Park Cemetery.

Nathan Turner was the first caretaker of Chaffee's Cemetery.

The cemetery was deeded to the City of Chaffee approximately three years ago.

 

 

 

 

From Chaffee Signal (Issue of March 5, 1915)

 

Notes:

In reading the newspaper articles) for this history, we note that the property purchased in 1915 for the cemetery was called the "Farris Place" and it was "1/4 mile from town". (To the citizens of Chaffee, perhaps the cemetery was considered out of town)

The road from Chaffee towards the cemetery was called "the Kelso Road", and we were located in "Kelso Township".

In a review of the "Chaffee Signals" we have been unable to find a reference to a first burial at this cemetery, but "burial at Union Park Cemetery" was stated on several of the death notices published beginning in 1915.

 

FYI: About the Chaffee Signal in March 1915

CHAFFEE SIGNAL

C.E Mattocks, Editor & Owner

Published every Friday morning

200 N. Main Street

Chaffee, Scott County, Missouri

 

TO ALL UNION MEN - The editor of the Signal is a member of the International typographical Union, Register number 2232, issued July 27th, 1915

 

1925

Some years later, it would appear that maintenance and upkeep to the Cemetery has become a problem.

Chaffee Signal  May 21, 1925

CEMETERY IMPROVEMENT

ASSOCIATION FORMED

At a meeting of interested citizens held at the Methodist church last Monday night the Chaffee Union Park Cemetery Improvement Association was formed.

Regular weekly meetings are to be held each Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the City Hall until the association develops into good working order after which time the meetings will be held less frequently

The following officers were elected at the meeting Monday night.

M.H. Stubblefield,  president

Mrs. Arthur Thackery, secretary

Mrs. H.L. LaGrange, treasurer

The membership committee will be composed of

Mrs. H.E. Arnold

Mrs. A.W. Aubuchon

Mrs. H.L. LaGrange

Mrs. Mary E Mattocks

E.F. Eggimann

 

As more research material becomes available we will continue our review of the History of The Union Park Cemetery.  

Chaffee Historical Society
Box 185
Chaffee, Missouri