Kansas City area writer and photographer Bruce Mathews, with collaborators, has published several books documenting the beauty of local cemeteries and the diversity of those families whose loved ones chose to be interred there.

In “Mount Washington Cemetery: In Search of Lost Time,” Mathews details the grand chapel built by the family of Kansas City Star co-founder William Rockhill Nelson, as well as the vision of George Kessler, the landscape architect who designed the cemetery.

Mathews reminds us that, many years ago, cemeteries were not exclusively a site of sorrow but a place of refreshment and contemplation.

Further, the book details not only the resting places of many prominent and accomplished Kansas City area residents, but also the varied and fascinating lives they lived before their passing.

On Memorial Day, May 26, the Mount Washington Cemetery Historical Society will be hosting an open house at the Nelson Memorial Chapel between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.The cemetery is at 614 S. Brookside Avenue, in independence. Copies of Mathews’ book will be available, with proceeds benefitting the Mount Washington Cemetery Historical Society, for the preservation of the Nelson Chapel.

For more information, go to mwchs.org, or call the cemetery office at 816-252-4141.

BY BRUCE MATHEWS

There is something endearing about old cemeteries, those built before the age of the automobile. When first opened they were mostly located “out in the country.” Visiting could take planning for a full day’s adventure. These early cemeteries were multi-purposed as parks and picnic grounds. With the advent of the car, along with the ever-increasing size of our cities, the same locations are no longer “way out in the country.” Many are now considered part of the urban core, bringing with it all of the trials that are part of the urban experience.

The Bird family mausoleum – Bruce Mathews photo

But yet these hallowed grounds still offer a sanctuary. Place of peace and serenity. We can connect with nature and view man’s handiwork found in the architectural gems of the beautiful buildings and memorials. We can speak privately to loved ones and family members we never met. We can find refuge in solitude. Our sorrows can escape the moment.

Kansas City is blessed with many old, historic cemeteries with Mount Washington rightly ranked among the select. Along the way it has had to weather its own storms. For at least its first 90 years the cemetery was operated as a not-for-profit formed by 100 civic minded leaders. This was followed by a for profit organization that resulted in bankruptcy. Thankfully, that period is over and today the cemetery is back on the right track. It’s a great time to refocus our attention on the 400 acres of beautiful rolling landscape, to recognize the historical importance of these hallowed grounds and to pay tribute to the memory of the 45,000 people buried here, each with a unique story to be shared.

BEFORE THE CEMETERY: MOUNT WASHINGTON PARK (1887-1900)

One of the rustic bridges across Rock Creek. Source: Missouri Valley Special Collections – Mrs. Sam Ray postcard collection

Before the first burial in Mount Washington Cemetery in 1902, its 400 acres was a part of a much larger 2,400-acre tract of land owned by Willard E. Winner. In 1887 it was developed by Winner Investment Co. as one of the largest and loveliest amusement parks in the state of Missouri. It had a short, 13-year existence before competition from competing parks forced Winner to close the park.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE CEMETERY

Image courtesy of the Mount Washington Cemetery archives.

Discussions about creating Mount Washington Cemetery in Independence, MO, began to take shape in the 1890s. Union Cemetery had opened in 1855 with the thought that it would be able to provide for the city’s burial needs in perpetuity. When it soon became clear that it would not, Elmwood Cemetery was opened in 1872. Forest Hill came along in 1888. As these cemeteries began rapidly to fill, a group of 100 civic and business leaders stepped forward, providing an additional site to keep up with the growing demand.

Mount Washington blanketed in new-fallen snow – Bruce Mathews photo

By the late 1890s, it was evident that the park’s days as an entertainment venue were numbered. The inevitable occurred in 1900 when the site was purchased by the 100 shareholders, coming together under the corporate name of Mount Washington Cemetery.

The first meeting of the directors of Mount Washington Cemetery took place on April 1, 1901. At that meeting officers were elected. Development of the site commenced immediately. Early promotional literature for the cemetery states that: “It is impossible to adequately convey a true impression of the natural beauty of Mount Washington. From its hilltops are had commanding views, extending for miles in various directions and the quiet beauty of the valley sections afford a welcome restful tone.”

GEORGE KESSLER (1862-1923)

Landscape Architect

In 1888, a reporter for The Kansas City Times wrote that, in his opinion, "Washington Park is the most picturesque spot between the Allegheny Mountains and the Rockies." A decade later, interest in the amusement park had waned, and in 1899, George Kessler, the noted landscape architect, was consulted as to what to do about the Washington Park property. Kessler recommended that the owners of the property convert it to a cemetery.

Photo courtesy of The Kansas City Museum.

His report to W.B. Clarke of the United States Trust Company of Kansas City, one of the property’s mortgage holders, listed several features of the park area that would be adaptive to such a development: the size of the property with its trees, dry ground and availability of a water supply; accessibility with then-current roads and street railways; and plans for future road developments for people coming from both Kansas City and Independence.

The report was well received. A group of Kansas City area businessmen formed the Mount Washington Cemetery Association to develop the property. Kessler was one of the incorporators. He was also hired by contract to oversee the creation of the cemetery. He worked with the cemetery as a consultant for landscaping questions and developments until his death in 1923.

After Mayor Benjamin Holmes of Kansas City, Mo., appointed a Board of Park and Boulevard Commissioners in March 1892, Kessler was appointed landscape engineer, with a salary of $100 per month. Kessler created master plans for the formation of a system of parks and boulevards for Kansas City and had approval authority for designs and implementation of the work. In addition, he was appointed secretary of the Board of Park Commissioners in 1895 and served in that position until 1903. Also in 1903, his title with Kansas City Parks officially changed to landscape architect. Kessler had married Ida Field in 1900. They had one son, George Kessler Jr.

While working with Kansas City Parks and Boulevards, Kessler continued to do contract work for other employers and other cities. For one of his many well-known projects, he was hired by the city of St. Louis to oversee the landscaping for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (St. Louis World’s Fair) of 1904.

During the first 20 years of Mount Washington Cemetery four major buildings were erected. They all remain today, and their architectural design enhances the natural environment. In 1908, the Mrs. John A. Long Memorial Chapel was completed. It was built for free use by families for funerals. Shortly after the cemetery was completed, a public holding vault was constructed. It was here that William Rockhill Nelson’s casket was placed when he died in 1915. He was moved two years later upon completion of the beautiful William Rockhill Nelson Memorial Chapel. This family mausoleum is now the final resting spot for him, his wife, Ida, their daughter, Laura, and Laura’s husband, Irwin Russell Kirkwood. The other building constructed on the site was a home for the superintendent/general manager; the residence also served as the cemetery office. Today the building is used exclusively as an office.

THE HEART OF THE CEMETERY

The William Rockhill Nelson Memorial Chapel

Between 1880 when he arrived in Kansas City, until his death in 1915, William Rockhill Nelson dominated the public debate in Kansas City as no one else has done. He possessed a commanding presence, an unquenchable curiosity, sufficient capital, a myriad of ideas and a social vision — all wrapped in a mountainous ego and a massive appetite to see the city go in the direction he wanted.

Unlike other wealthy power brokers, Nelson had a platform for his ideas: a newspaper that grew from a four-page sheet, selling for 2 cents a copy, into Kansas City’s most widely read medium, The Kansas City Star. His most enduring monuments were The Star itself and one of America’s finest collections of art, which in the years to come would find a home on the same land where his house had stood. His family bought the equivalent of a city block at Mount Washington Cemetery for a grand mausoleum, which took nearly two years to build. Nelson’s body was placed there in October 1917.

A 1920s view of the Nelson Memorial Chapel – Mount Washington archives

The Nelson Chapel located in Mount Washington Cemetery was initiated by his wife Ida and his daughter Laura. Situated on the family’s remote one-acre lot, with an elevation rise of some 40 feet, it stands as a noble Tudor Gothic structure. It is a structure of significant architectural accomplishment in the United States. In this regard it is a national treasure. It is important not only for what it is, but for who created it. It was designed by the renowned Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt who designed three other buildings in Kansas City including the massive Union Station which opened in 1914. The beautiful tile ceiling in the chapel was the creation of the Guastavino family, specifically Raphael Guastavino, Jr. who carried on the family business upon the death of his father. The family also created the ceiling in the Boston Public Library and in the main hall at Ellis Island. The chapel was constructed by the George A. Fuller Construction Co which, among its hundreds of projects around the world, built our Union Station, the Flatiron Building in New York City, the Lincoln Memorial and the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. They even built the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. Quite a team!

THE SEASONS

In old cemeteries, especially those laid out in a landscape of rolling hills, the visitor is presented with awe inspiring scenes of vegetation and wildlife. Throwing in the beautiful architectural treasures of its mausoleums and memorials, it becomes fertile ground for the outdoor photographer. With those areas blessed with the full impact of each of the four seasons the bonus comes from finding that there is no bad time to photograph in such an environment. Changes in the time of day, temperature, cloud cover, snow, and rain don’t cause problems, they merely create more opportunities to capture the moment. Cases in point, from Mount Washington:

MOUNT WASHINGTON CEMETERY: IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME

The life stories of hundreds of people buried in the cemetery have been shared in the book Mount Washington Cemetery: In Search of Lost Time published in 2020. Kansas City golfing legend, Tom Watson, captures the spirit of Mount Washington in the foreword he wrote for the book: His second great grandfather, Dr. Isaac M. Ridge, is buried in the cemetery. Dr. Ridge was the first licensed physician in what was yet to become Kansas City.

“He was fresh out of medical school. It was 1840 when he set up his practice on the levee. The stories of his compassion in the treatment of Civil War soldiers, Yanks and Rebs alike, is a lesson in humanity. In the midst of the horrors of war, where too often we hear only of man’s inhumanity to man, was Dr. Ridge giving aid and not asking whether the patient was from the North or South. Even before the Civil War, when the native Americans far outnumbered the white settlers in the area, he so endeared himself to the various tribes that they conferred upon him the name “Little Thunder.” It was an honor conferred upon very few white settlers.

“Throughout the pages of the book we learn that human worth is based on the depth of one’s character, not the depth of his, or her, pocketbook. In the book you will find stories of the rich and famous alongside those, perhaps not well known, whose lives were rich in goodness. Their stories have been thoughtfully presented by my friend Bruce Mathews, Judith King and a host of like-inspired contributing authors who care so much about their city and its history.”

“Every human has a story that cries out to be passed down. Many can even inspire future generations. As we are inspired by them, it becomes our challenge to lead lives that will make them proud of us.”

Memorial Day tribute honoring the thousands of military personnel buried in Mount Washington Cemetery. Bruce Matthews photo

The book can be purchased for $34.95 through the Jackson County Historical Society, the office at Mount Washington Cemetery, the Truman Library, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, various bookstores in the city, and online at mwchs.org. All proceeds benefit the preservation of the William Rockhill Nelson Memorial Chapel.

Please Join Us

MEMORIAL DAY - Monday, May 26, 2025

Anytime between 10:00 A.M. & 2:00 P.M.

For a tour of the historic

William Rockhill Nelson Memorial Chapel

Mount Washington Cemetery

614 S. Brookside Ave., Independence, Missouri

Copies of Mount Washington Cemetery and Janssen Place books will be available on site.

Proceeds benefit The Mount Washington Cemetery Historical Society

for the preservation of the Nelson Chapel

www.mwchs.org

For more information, contact Bruce Mathews at bcmathews1948@gmail.com

Mount Washington Cemetery