Decorum could be defined as, "propriety in manners and conduct." Or perhaps you prefer, "appropriate and dignified behavior." Or maybe, "behaviour in keeping with good taste and propriety." Regardless of your exact definition of "decorum," its pretty much means the same thing.

Essentially, based on the time and place of your surroundings, you are expected to act in a certain dignified and appropriate way. So what is the correct decorum for a cemetery...or more specifically a cemetery like Elmwood Cemetery?

We must remember that the peaceful dead that rest in Elmwood have living families that visit them. We must keep in mind that new burials continue to take place at Elmwood, and grieving families are in the cemetery to make arrangments and bury their loved ones. And we should respect the 36,000 people at rest in the cemetery...whether there is anyone at the cemetery or not.

Correct decorum. There would be nothing wrong with quietly walking the grounds, and taking photos of the beauty of Elmwood. Nothing wrong with bringing your family there, and having a quiet lunch at the picnic tables along Heroes Way. There would be nothing wrong with driving through Elmwood, and admiring the history there.

Bad decorum. Horseplay. Littering. Loud laughter. Running around. Goofing around. Climbing on grave-markers. Or acting in any way that might disturb visiting family member or anyone at the cemetery that is in mourning.

In a sense, its pretty common-sense really. But even just recently, there were people in the cemetery goofing around, laughing loudly, and video-taping each other...at the same time that a grieving family was making funeral arrangements. This is simply bad behavior and lacks the decorum and respect that the cemetery, its history, and the families of those at rest there deserve. The grieving family was pretty upset by the whole things...and that's the last thing they needed really at that moment.

When I heard this story...I really felt a need to post something here on the website. I imagine everyone that visits our site already acts with proper decorum when in the cemetery, but just in case...it was worth posting...

Mark Stinson
Friend of Elmwood

The Elmwood Volunteers and Staff are extremely saddened by the massacre at Virginia Tech University. We mourn this horrible tragedy that has befallen the students killed and injured, and their families. May they pull together as one and allow the long healing to begin. Our thoughts and prayers are with them...

Quote:

I took this, along with a lot of other photos out at Elmwood just last week. There were clouds in the sky...so the sun was not quite right. But I was struck by how beautiful and stark this gravemarker looked with the bare tree limbs behind it.

The time for bare tree limbs is passing. Elmwood is getting green. The grass is growing, the trees are budding, and its a beautiful time to visit the cemetery. Take a few photos while you are there...and feel free to share them here or e-mail them to me!

If you e-mail them to me, I'll post them here along with your name (or not if you prefer).



And remember...the April 15th Event is coming up. Mark it in your calendars, and we'll see you there!

Mark Stinson
voidpulp@yahoo.com

March has arrived and with it comes this update about the new bios you'll be seeing soon on our New Biographies portion of the Historical Biographies page. It is amazing how SO MUCH history is jam packed within our four walls! In the next couple of weeks, you will meet a man who was close friends with Amelia Earhart! He even worked on one of her planes! You'll also be introduced to an extraordinarily talented famale piano protege' who died at 18 years old and whose work would be recorded by two of the biggest names in blues history! Be sure to check out the aunt of a very beloved President that was with her family when Senator James Lane's Kansas Redlegs raided their farm during the Kansas-Missouri border wars!! And you will read the story of how a precious three year old little girl survived Quantrill's raid on Lawrence, Kansas!

IN JUST A FEW WEEKS, you will meet the Major who was on the heels of Quantrill and his men right after the raid on Lawrence, President Garfield's favorite Latin student and a man who was a close friend of Jesse James, Jr.!!!

DON'T MISS THESE WONDERFUL TALES!!!! Elmwood Cemetery is proving, day in and day out, that it IS one of the most historic places in all of Kansas City!!
What are you waiting for?? C'mon out and see us!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Welcome back, everybody. We are proud to announce that this will be a banner year for us! 2006 brings the return of our popular Memorial Day weekend events (events to be announced) and in October, the 4th annual Elmwood Cemetery 5K Graveyard Run and Family Walk will commence on October 28th at 8:00a.m.! PLUS..we will have a beautification project that will add to the art, history and maintenance of the cemetery and it is sure to be enjoyed by all! Stay tuned to our "Historical Biographies" page for an ALL NEW January update where Elmwood history will cross paths with Davy Crockett, the University of Kansas, gunfighter and Dodge City Peace Commission member, Charlie Bassett and the Battle of Lone Jack, Missouri!! The public has been asking for it and we delivered...Genealogy is NOW ONLINE on our website! It is up to 17,500 names and is growing by leaps and bounds! Who knows?.....YOUR family just might be on there right now, stored in our database with some of the greatest names in American history, so search and browse until your hearts content! Yes folks, Elmwood is ready to make a little noise in 2006 as we are working hard to maintain the services and education you enjoy! Thanks for the kind thoughts, wishes and gratitude that you have given us. It means a lot to us all. Keep your eyes on us.....change is coming!!

-HAPPY NEW YEAR!
2006
(ALREADY!)

Happy New Year! Happy Valentine’s Day! Happy President’s Day! Happy 2006 to one and all! May all good things come to everyone and may this be the best year ever! There is something about a new year, new beginnings, new ideas, new faith, new aspirations, new wishes, new freshness that seems to get people moving. This year will be a banner year! How could it be anything else?

We have been on the move. We have already tentatively set our schedule for the year and we are in the process of making “it” happen. Beginning in May we will list the events we will have for each month so you may set your calendar to come and be a part of them! We are very excited about our events. There will be history, drama, things you thought you knew, but didn’t, really! But most of all there will be fun!

Have you been watching the changes on the website lately? Have you visited the “Historical Biographies” or clicked on the “Genealogy” button? Did you know there are over 20,000 names in the genealogy alone? Make sure when you explore that area that you look over the notes as well. There are many stories and details that are amazing to read. As a matter of fact, Bruce Mathews, who has built that program for Elmwood Cemetery, will be giving a presentation about that very subject in the Armour Chapel on Saturday, April 29, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend. Bruce is a very motivational speaker and we know you will absolutely enjoy hearing and learning from him!

Our Memorial Day Weekend of Events is coming up. The month of May will be here before we know it! Last year’s Hog Roast with the James and Younger Family reenactors was such a success that we have decided to do it again this year. As a matter of fact, the entire first day, Saturday, May 27, 2006, of the Memorial Day Weekend of Events will be full of action and we invite you to join us. Our Opening Ceremony begins at 9:00 a.m. with the Color Guards from the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department and the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department. At 10:00 a.m. the Dedication Ceremony for “Heroes’ Way” which expresses our appreciation for the “First Responders” in our community, those folks, who everyday, put their lives on the line to ensure our safety, Police Officers and Fire Fighters. Tyson Hanie and Troop 8 are building this project, for young Hanie’s Eagle Scout badge. We are very proud to have Tyson and his troop involved in this permanent memorial section. The “Way” will be mulched and hold picnic tables with stanchions that will hold biographies of the officers and fire fighters beginning with the First Chief of Police, Thomas Speers and the First Fire Chief, Francis Foster. We are very excited! Then at 11:00 a.m. our hog roast begins! We will have reenactors to mingle and mix with the picnickers and we will also have hamburgers, hot dogs, beans, potato salad and cole slaw for everyone to eat! Be sure to mark your calendars for Saturday, May 27, 2006 beginning a 9:00 a.m.!! You sure don’t want to miss out! Watch our “Events” page for more details as we get closer to May!

Derrick Hover has made it home from Iraq and is taking back his position as our grounds keeper. He is very excited to be home and is looking forward to taking care of the “yard.” Derrick has already looked over the property and knows there is a lot of work to be done. We are absolutely delighted to have him home and healthy!

In the last few years, we have been approached by scouts looking to complete their work for their Eagle Scout Badge. Usually, these are young men who have known someone who knows someone who has come to us for ideas. We are so very pleased to have the opportunity to be of assistance in this worthwhile goal. If you know of someone who would be interested in projects toward their Eagle Scout Badge, please contact the office at 816-231-0373. We have a number of projects of all types out here. We have discovered the more we do, the more we find we have to do. It is an amazing thing and we are extremely grateful for the involvement of our young people.

Speaking of scouts, we also have the wonderful organization Girl Scouts of America troops out here as well. There are many things Elmwood requires, many projects and ideas that need to be fulfilled. This is a most wonderful place for the planting of gardens, re-working of landscaping, resetting stones, cataloging of trees and bushes, making a better nature reserve for bird-watching and butterfly watching. The Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts have worked very hard for us and we look forward to their increasing involvement in the years to come! You can be sure these are young folks of whom we can all be very proud.

Please be sure to visit the “Biographies” and “Genealogy” and then make suggestions or comments on our “Forum” page. We are always interested in the views of folks who visit the website as well as those who visit Elmwood herself. We enjoy input and ideas for improving the grounds; of course, we are always looking for volunteers who will help us carry out those very ideas!

If you would like to become a sponsor for Elmwood Cemetery, or know someone who would, please contact the office at 816-231-0373. We have many projects we need funding for and we would be more than enthusiastic to give credit where credit is due! We have very affordable sponsorship levels and will gratefully speak with all interested parties. We are a 501(c)13, a non-profit since 1898, and we are a 501(c)3 through the Kansas City Community Foundation. If you donate through the Kansas City Community Foundation, please be sure to earmark the donation to Elmwood Cemetery, 4900 Truman Road, Kansas City, MO 64127. Remember, we are all volunteers here so all money goes to the upkeep of Elmwood and to mow our “yard.” Approximately 98% of our operating budget comes through donations, so keep us in mind! We are tax-deductible!

Everyone take good care at the beginning of this marvelous year of 2006 and may God bless you and keep you safe!

Breaking history news from Elmwood Cemetery!! We are proud to announce our firm and concrete place in the storied history of young Abraham Lincoln! Sarah Rickard Barret was a prominent love interest and sweetheart of young Lincoln back in his early days at Springfield, Illinois. Her husband, Richard Barret was a close friend to Lincoln and knew him for many years. Due to that friendship, Lincoln appointed Richard to an office when he became President! But...the story doesn't stop here! Lincoln boarded with Sarah's sister, Elizabeth and her husband, William upon his arrival to Springfield. Sarah also knew Abe's best friend, Joshua Speed, was aquainted with Lincoln's law partner, William Herndon and she knew Mary Todd Lincoln!! The whole story of this magnificent and groundbreaking find are now found on the "historical biographies" page. We are spotlighting history like we have never done before with Sarah and Richard Barret as the only two new additions to under "New Biographies!" and you have seen that the home page has been dedicated to this! Elmwood has been in contact with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois and they are excited about our new find as well! They have asked us to supply all the information we have on this and they in return will be linking up to us on the Presidential Library website! This story has been covered by the Wall Street Journal, The Pitch, Northeast News, KMBZ Radio, The State Journal Register newspaper in Springfield, Illinois and will soon be covered by The Kansas City Star newspaper and KMBC TV in the near future!! Do not miss this unbelieveable history that is not only news for Elmwood, but for Jackson County, Missouri, the city of Kansas City and the state of Missouri. Elmwood is nationally recognized by the Sierra Club headquarters of San Francisco for the burial place of naturalist, John Muir's father, Daniel AND by the Jesse James Farm and Museum in Kearney, Mo. for being the temporary resting place of Jesse's devoted wife, Zerelda "Zee" James! Recognition by The Lincoln Presidential Library just strengthens our clout within historic Kansas City! To date, THIS IS the most historic find in the 133 year history of Elmwood Cemetery! Bar none!

Image of Abraham Lincoln used by permission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, Springfield, Illinois.

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT! THIS November, Elmwood Cemetery will post what is it's most significant and historic find in it's 133 year history!! This story was written about in the October 28th Wall Street Journal and is continuing to build momentum as it spreads! We are overjoyed at this extremely educational piece of history and promise that it will be a major surprise!! We will spotlight this story in a way it has never been done on our website!! We hope to incorporate it into living history plans for the future and make this one of the great tales in Elmwood Cemetery! A Presidential library has already confirmed that they want the info that we have as far as burial records and photos of the plots. This is a most exciting time for our cemetery, Jackson County and Kansas City! If there was ever a time to exclaim "Think you know whose buried in Elmwood cemetery?.....THINK AGAIN!" This is that time! DON'T MISS THIS!!!!

The NEW 2004 Elmwood Cemetery brochures will be here soon!!! Loaded with new history that will no doubt surprise and educate you about the lost history of Elmwood! Read about the connections between Elmwood and Civil war guerrilla leader, William Quantrill! You'll find silent movie star, Webster Campbell, as well as Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch member, Robert "Bob" Lee! And Jesse James wife, Zee who was placed in Elmwood's public holding vault for 8 months! This 132 year old cemetery has brand new stories to tell! If you were captivated by our most recent brochure........YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET!