website watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown,
Wisconsin
Watertown’s First Cemetery
Established 1845
The old
cemetery on Richards' hill, fronting on Western Avenue and the first one ever established in
Watertown, was the subject of considerable controversy in the late 1800s, owing to a request that ownership be relinquished by
the city council. This was done but
later on was rescinded, and the cemetery, which had been vacated by an act of
the legislature eight years earlier, was to remain in possession of the city.
1845
The
cemetery was established in 1845 by Silas W. Newcomb when he had the 2.84 acres
surveyed and platted.
Newcomb land sold to John Richards
First owner of the 140 acre
parcel was Silas W.
Newcomb who acquired the land in 1838 from the United States government [Newcomb
was one of only three homes on Octagon Hill in the early 1870's].
In 1846 he sold the land to John
Richards, builder of the Octagon House. The land was surveyed for individual lots in
1870.
It
measured 360 feet north and south and 264 feet east and west. It included all of the ground now occupied by
the east half of the present day Northwestern
College library-science building, all of the preparatory dormitory, and the
two houses numbered 503 and 505 Tower Road. The north wall of the dormitory almost exactly
marks the north boundary of the cemetery, and the two residences just mentioned
stand at the eastern edge of the cemetery.
This first cemetery was just west
of the city water tower. Most industries
in the early days had their own water towers and wells (e.g., G. B. Lewis).
1857
Click
above image so to enlarge
Richards land sold to Northwestern
College
Richards’ estate
Some
early historians believed that this property belonged to the Richards' estate. This is highly likely because the adjacent
five and one-half acres to the west were owned by John Richards. This land was sold in the mid 1860s to Northwestern
College (then Northwestern University) for $687.50. This original plot of ground is the site of
the bulk of the present day buildings.
Watertown Cemetery established
Since
the cemetery didn't have an official name, it was simply known as the Watertown
Cemetery. Burials continued to be made
in the cemetery as late as the 1870s.
The 264 lots filled up quickly, due to an epidemic of the cholera. Lots
measured 9 x 24 feet and sold for one dollar each. John Richards purchased about twenty
lots. Records show only one burial from
the Richards' family. No doubt it was
one of their three daughters who died in infancy. One Negro who died of the cholera was known
to be buried there.
As
early as 1891, Northwestern College made it known they were interested in
obtaining this abandoned cemetery in order to round out its property. This proved to be a difficult matter that was
strung out over a half century. Former
Northwestern College President, E. E. Kowalke, in his Centennial Story (1965) describes the deserted cemetery as:
"... an interesting jungle of locust
trees, lilacs, prickly ash, ordinary day lilies, weeds, tall grass sheltering
such wild flowers as violets and crane's bill, together with some quite
vigorous poison ivy along the fence that separate the cemetery from college
property."
Students
had a fascination for the old cemetery despite its unsightly appearance. One student even eulogized the cemetery in an
ode of twenty-four stanzas.
Map
and aerial view obtained from www.lps.wels.net.
Location of cemetery superimposed by author.
_________________________________________________________
Letter
from Dr. J. M. O’Connell
1908 Theft from Cemeteries
06 12 Complaint is being made by the aggrieved
parties, that the flowers and decorations upon the graves in the cemeteries in
this city are being stolen and carried away by vandals destitute of every sense
of honesty and decency. It hardly seems
possible, that there are people in Watertown so lost to an emotion of shame as
to enter a cemetery and ghoul-like steal from graves the flowers placed by sorrowing
relatives upon the resting place of their departed loved ones. Such parties ought to be apprehended and an
example made of them, that the practice may be discontinued.
“O heaven, that such
companions
thou ’tdst unfold
And put in every honest
Hand a whip
To lash the rascals naked
Through the world.” WDT
1909
Watertown Gazette, 09 10 1909
Dr. J. M. O’Connell,
formerly of the town of Emmet, writes as follows to the editor:
Editor Gazette — Enclosed
please find Chicago exchange for annual subscription to The Gazette. During my
recent visit to Watertown at the Homecoming festivities I met many old-time
friends and many others whom I greatly desired to meet I failed to see. Watertown’s general appearance pleased me;
even after the flags and bunting were removed it showed its true substantial
worth. Homes as
beautiful as architecture could devise, streets as substantial as the best
paved in St. Louis and lawns second to none from the landscape artist’s point
of view.
In one of the oldest cemeteries of your city
I was much dismayed with its appearance, weeds and grass effacing many of the
tombstones of our departed ones.
On the whole
an air of hope and success seems to pervade everything at and around the old
town.
Very
respectfully,
Dr. J. M.
O’Connell
The cemetery
alluded to above has since been put in shape, a cemetery association organized,
and work on it planned that will make it one of the best kept in the
state. [Editor Gazette]
1929
The
cemetery provided a bit of seclusion from college authorities. While there may have been some profitable
studying being undertaken, other activities such as card playing and catching a
smoke on the sly may have outweighed the time spent on academic affairs. Ultimately, in 1929, seven parties who had
distant relatives still buried there brought a court suit against the college
in order to block their obtaining the property.
In testimony, the card playing became gambling, and the headstones were
supposedly used for baseball bases. One
witness even testified that one professor had his basement lined with marble
slabs stolen from the cemetery. One
thing was certain as an outcome of the trial–the college had no claim to
ownership of the old cemetery.
By the 1940s most of the cemetery
headstones were not readable.
Punched in on your first
cemetery. I remember there as one at Northwestern College
right ahead of the water tower. That was
the only water tower that I remember.
The cemetery was not kept up and there was an old fence around it. Most of the industries in the early times had
their own water towers. G.B. Lewis had
one, and the time I was working there, they still used water from their own
well instead of city water. The tower
was gone .but the well was still used. I
remember walking by the cemetery by Northwestern, and most of the headstones
were not readable. Just thought I would
reminisce to you about it. [Anon]
1947
Eventually,
in 1947, when the college was ready to build the present library building, the
city fathers knew that the abandoned property would be put to a good use and
the eyesore of the deserted cemetery would be removed. Only one request was made; in the event that
additional graves beyond the five known graves were found, that they too, would
be removed to Oak Hill Cemetery.
Seventeen such graves were found, and the remains were carefully placed
in separate small boxes and removed to Oak Hill Cemetery.
Portion of this chapter derived from
Quam, Sy, John Richards: The Hill and The Mill, GJ Graphics (Watertown, WI), 1984
pp 22-23.
Compiled by Ken Riedl
