Strolling Through the Past in Missouri's IOOF Cemetery

Since history has always interested me, I was intrigued by the oldest stones and the stories that they tell. The oldest part of the cemetery lies along Carl Sweeney Parkway (also known as HH Highway) and it is sad to see that many of the stones are broken. Some cannot be easily read - time and weather have taken their toll on the names and dates that were once important to surviving family members.

I have always been curious about one of the larger markers near the entrance, one that marks the last resting place of man that, according to the engraving, was "murdered on the Neosho Square." Though I have often read local history I've yet to find an event that fits.

The marker for the victims of the Tipton Ford train wreck is also prominent. In some of the books I've purchased over the years from the Newton County Historical Society I've read about the tragic event that took many lives when two trains collided. Such a tragedy had to have left a mark on the community for many years.

At the highest point in the cemetery, near a large marble cross, the view of eastern Neosho is lovely. I often have imagined the view of what was once a wooded valley and the dirt road that predated the Carl Sweeney Parkway. In the earliest days, the cemetery must have been in the country.

A few years ago, Father Roger Leveillee, pastor of my church, held a special All Souls Mass beneath that cross on an autumn evening. Although Father Roger passed away several years ago, he was a wonderful, insightful man and a fine priest. The memory of that service is a special one that I treasure, maybe because it combined ancient traditions with a new location.

Perhaps my favorite stone in the IOOF Cemetery is the Confederate marker that I dubbed "Johnny Reb" many years ago. Although folks back in the branches of my family tree fought on both sides of the Civil War, I've always felt a special kinship for those who sided with the South. The War Between The States is often a misunderstood conflict but for just folks like my ancestors, many of the real life "Johnny Reb" soldiers fought for their family, their land, and their heritage, not the rallying issues of states rights or slavery.

I wrote a poem many years ago about that Confederate memorial and have photographed the statue often. Viewed at close range, the statue is done well with great detail.

Another favorite feature of the cemetery are the tall, aged cedars that are found in the older areas. I have read that early settlers called cedars "graveyard pines" because they were so often planted near graves. The Cherokee belief is that cedars are a sign of everlasting life which may be why, at least in part, cedars are found near many old cemeteries.

Since I no longer live within walking distance of the IOOF Cemetery, I don't visit as often but on occasion, I take time to stroll through the past and reflect on life in an earlier age.