A Washington site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service this month. Mike Kramme tells KCII News, the gates and shelter of Woodlawn Cemetery are on the register because of their architecture, which is Egyptian Revival style. The gates were built in 1916 and consist of six obelisk fence posts complete with a flat pyramid top and three iron gates. The shelter was built in 1926 and was funded by The Washington Improvement League, the first women’s improvement organization in town.
The cemetery was established in 1840 when Johnathan H. Wilson donated the land to the city. Kramme adds, the first interment was on December 10, 1840 and was for Benjamin Conley, who froze to death while walking home from a friend’s farm. Woodlawn Cemetery, at South Adams Street and C Avenue, was originally outside the city on its southwest edge.