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2015-2016 Odessa City Guide Page 39
Before the two communities, Greenton andMt.Hope,moved nearer
to the C&A Railroad forming the town of Odessa, people buried
their loved ones, or perhaps complete strangers, in family or church
cemeteries. On September 26, 1881, land purchased fromAsa Hatch
became the Odessa Cemetery, shortly before the town of Odessa was
incorporated.
The first person buried in the cemetery was a one-year-old child
named Robbie, by his parents Mr. and Mrs. P.W. Gum, on October 16,
1881. Families who had buried loved ones in family graveyards or in
rural areas, primarily from the Greenton and Mt. Hope areas, moved
family members to the Odessa Cemetery. Some of these reburials cov-
ered deaths as far back as 1847.
In 1943, Mayor Thomas Dyer recommended maintenance of the
Odessa Cemetery be turned over to a citizen board.
Hugh Ramsey, present at the first board meeting, suggested an en-
dowment fund be established in order to properly restore and manage
the cemetery. Ramsey reviewed plans in other cities, worked on cem-
etery records, and developed bylaws to manage the cemetery. Located
at the Odessa Cemetery is a monument placed there by the Odessa
Cemetery Association, Inc. in memory of Ramsey’s contributions.
Officers are Denny Fieth, president; Joe Parshall, vice president;
Stephanie Pallette, secretary; Paul Robbins, treasurer. Other
members are John Hotmer, Roger Dowell, Jeff White, Doug
Snyder, Robert Danner and Joey Kleoppel. Board meets at 7
p.m. the first Tuesday of the month at the cemetery office, 202 W.
Mason. To purchase lots contact Larry or Tyra Greenfield, 263-
1994, 263-1034 or 633-8264.
Greenton Cemetery, established in 1835 north of Odessa, is the
oldest cemetery in the area. The church is the last building left from
the town of Greenton.The land, donated by Joseph H. Green, contains
one of the earliest recorded headstones, that of another child, Harriet
V., the infant daughter of M.M. and M.J. Robinson, dated 1849.
Harvey Geary is the current president of the Greenton Associa-
tion board. Gary and Joyce Kite are co-secretary-treasurers and
board members are Ronnie Gray, Glen Barker, Bill Schieber
and Larry Jones.
Mt. Tabor Cemetery originated in 1893 when a tract of land was
donated southeast of Odessa on what is nowMt.Tabor Road byJohn
and Nancy McNeel.
The cemetery is made up of the original tract, plus an area donated
by Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Steelman Jr., and a five-acre tract pur-
chased in 1989 from the Steelmans.
Present corporation board members are Jerry Wade president;
Arthur Steelman Jr., vice president; LauraNolte, secretary; Fran-
ces Laun, treasurer; Roger Douthit and Robert Lee Couch.
The Odessa Cemetery is located east of town on Odessa
Cemetery Road. An association was formed in 1943.
Woods Chapel Cemetery is south of Odessa on 131 Highway in
Johnson County. The cemetery, which is east of the church, was
incorporated May 2, 1944. The oldest tombstones date back to those
of Civil War veterans.
Woods Chapel Cemetery Association board president is Donald
Pemberton. LelandMcNeel is vice president andWilmaMcNeel
is secretary/treasurer. Boardmembers are Penny Sisk, Jerry Long
and Larry Parks.
The association is governed by a board which manages the money,
ascertains where new graves can be placed, charges for plots, pays
for maintenance and keeps the records.
TheBates CityCemeterywas opened in 1891when the community’s
founder,Theodore Bates, died. His widow purchased five acres of land
from her son and selected a family plot in the center before deeding
the remainder to the churches of Bates City as their cemetery.
In later years, the south side of the cemetery was used for burials
but today the original land has been modified with burial lots and
driveways. Cemetery added a brick entryway and repaired the
iron fence around the Bates family plot in 2010.
Current board members are Seryl Webb, president; Ruth Ford,
secretary; Jim Bainbridge, treasurer; Bob Bainbridge, Don
Reynolds and Artie Lett.
Rural cemeteries are either family or church graveyards. Two
graveyards, Mt. Hebron and Muir, were reserved for black families.
Two cenotaphs were placed in the Summer-Helmand the Powell cem-
eteries, in memory of two men who died in the Revolutionary War.
A collection and work documenting area cemeteries has been
compiled and published by Marty Helm Brunetti , Odessa. The
transcriptionmay be accessed at the Odessa branch of Trails Regional
Library in the genealogy section.
A transcription/photography project for county cemeteries is cur-
rently underway. Those interested in taking digital photographs or
transcribing may contact Linda Gillis at The Odessan, 230-5311.
The oldest grave site recorded in the history books, Brunetti said,
is the Thomas Hopper Cemetery, in the early 1800s. It is a short
distance from Junction 131 and FF, northeast, between Odessa and
Wellington.
Other rural cemeteries include Barker, Campbell, Chapel Hill, Con-
cord Baptist, McKendree Chapel, Mt. Hope, Pleasant Prairie, Poole,
Old Concord Baptist, Shore, Summer-Helm, Odessa;Marvin Chapel,
Mayview, Mound Prairie, Zion United Church of Christ, Mayview;
Anderson, Napoleon United Methodist, St. Paul, Napoleon; Arnold,
Mt. Olivet, St. Luke Evangelical, Wellington City, Wellington.
Greenton Cemetery, established in 1835, is the oldest
cemetery in the area. The cemetery adjoins Greenton
Baptist Church.
CommunityCemeteries