Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-21
First of Established Cemeteries Was
Originally Far Out.
FOREST LAWN OLD BRACKIN FARM
Pioneer Owner Sleeps in Chosen
Spot on Homestead.
KING RESTS IN HOLY sEPULCHRE
Touches of Romance, Sentimental
and Material, Cling About Even
the Burial Places of
the Departed.

ooHle paIu mas SUNG, me Snll tn3t
soaks the brave mans blood is always holy
ground but going beyond the confined
expression, myriads Of tender, regrettul
memories cluster and cling so about the
resting places of the loved ones gone that
every cemetery is holy ground in the
thoughts OF the living
In the season Nebraska with its great
stretch of mid-continent territory. is the
home of great a variety of birds as can
be found anywhere I'm the temperate zone,
80 the cemeteries of Omaha become the
summer pleasure groves OF songsters that
knowing no fear. sing loud and free the
whole day through, ringing the many de-
liciDus changes of natures symphony over
the lowy mounds of the ones who were
great and the ones who were merely
counted with the crowd.
Approximately $1,000 people of this and
preceding generations are buried in the
cemeteries of Omaha. Many of these we're
born here or In some corner OF this nation:
but thousands and thousands saw the light
and knew the joys and SORROWS in ancient
lands far, far from where they sleep
through winters frost and summers gentle
dew
From waste expanses Of cherries land
scape which constituted the earlier bury
ing grounds of the city, the modern ceme-
teries have become quite ideal in their ar
rangement and adornment. Landscape
gardening, with all it's latter-day develop
ment, has been brought to the task of
making them most attractive in their phys
ical features. Forest Lawn has achieved
high reputation under the loving and in
telligent care of Superintendent ]. Y. Craig;
much so that the booklet issued by
Secretary Mann last year has taken rank
among such publications second only to the
book pf Woodlawn. New York Prospect
Hill, Mount Hope, Holy Sepulcher and ST.
Mary Magdat ne's are also cared for and
decorated in good taste. These are the
larger cemeteries. but there are several
smaller ones where the graves are not neg
lected or their occupants forgotten.
Omaha's First BuryIng Ground.
In 1858 the pre-emption claim of Moses
F. Shinn was away out northwest OF the
hamlet OF Omaha and even the most dar-
ing mind saw no prospect of that piece of
land becoming the center of city big and
wide and great enough TO be listed high
among the aggregated groups Of population.
Today a portion of the Shinn claim Is cDm-
prised In Prospect Hill cemetery, which
comes as near the center Of the plated and
bullt-up area of the city as can very we'll
be named without exact measurement. Mr.
Shinn gave ten acres of his claim for ceme-
terry purposes. A little later Jesse Lowe
added ten acres adjoining; but both Shinn
and Lowe retained title to the land thus
set aside.
Even at an earlier day than this tract
of five acres, on the crest of an elevation
in what is now Shull's addition to the
city used a common burying ground,
1
count reads. Two lots in Prospect Hill now
contain the remains of all the od-tmers
who were inferred here. Some few years
ago there was dug up at this location an
expensive iron casket, with heavy plate
glass face plate; also a coffin eontaining
the remains of a man who had been buried
in soldiers overcoat. There was pistol
in the coffin and buckshot in a pocket of
| the coat, indicating an Indian in civilized
raiment over these burial places of
Omaha's younger day the cattle ranged at
will, as fences were lacking.
Birth of Prospect Hin.
In 1859 Byron Reed bought the Shinn ten
acres, with fifteen acres adjoining from
Jesse Lowe OF the twenty acres Mr..
Reed devoted fourteen TO cemetery pur-
| poses, with a provision for reversion to
| his heirs when it shall cease to be used
| for cemetery purposes. Mr.. Reed managed
| this cemetery tract himself for twenty
| years, failing to organize a company which
| he attempted In that time he faced de-
| ficit of 5000. Thus 1t came about that in
| 1885 he turned the management over to the
| Forest Lawn Cemetery association. under
which control it remained for a few years.
| In the spring OF 1880 an organization of the
| lot owners was formed as the Prospect Hin
| Cemetery association, which afterward ac-
quired some land extending from the east
line of the cemetery TO Thirty-third street
| on the west, and this is the Prospect Hin
| cemetery Of today.
Prospect Hill Cemetery association is q
mutual affair. with 1900 LOT owners con-
stituting the membership. It is the rest
ing place Of many members OF the older
! families Of the city-Megeaths, Doanes,
Paddocks, Millards McCormicks and 9TH
ers. Upwards of 1000 interments have
been made.
The first intsrment in what is now
Prospect Hill was made I'm March. 1858,
and the body was that Of Alonzo F. Sails
bury. lie was a member of the council
and had represented Douglas county in
the third territorial legislature, He was
% years old when he died Some among
the real old neighbors will recall Salisbury
as the owner Of the sawmil and wharf
that was located long age at the foot OF
Nicholas street In June. 1858. the second
interment was made, when the funeral Of
j. l. Winship occurred.
First Catholic Cemetery.
In the early COS the Roman Catholics
started cemetery old ST. Mary's. north
of st. Mary's avenue and east Of what 10
row Twenty-fourth street. This was =
Hillside burying ground, for Thomas Swift,
who removed the bodies in 1887 recalls
that ne afterwards made a fiji of forty
fleet or more at that point. General n
o. c. ord's father had been buried here.