LADIES OF LAUREL AVENUE

Mattie Kellog and Nettie Wright were buried in the Old Grave Yard. Dr. Watkins, as administrator of Wright's estate, had a fence built around her grave and a headstone erected. We assume their graves were moved to Willow Grove, but there is NO record and NO headstone for them at Willow Grove.

POTTERS FIELD BURIALS

1984 "Baby" Harmon

Gertrude Gagnon

1893 T.J. Richardson

1893 Thomas Kendall

1898 Archie (the Chinaman)

1899 Thomas Haresnaps

1899 Jay Moore

1905 O.H. Holstein

1912 Robert Johnson

1914 Gus Berg

POTTER'S FIELD

Block 35 lies outside the traditional boundaries of Willow Grove Cemetery. Burials from 1893 to 1914 in this section include one infant, one woman, and nine men. The graves were unmarked for years. In the 1970s the local Rotary club arranged to have the area fenced. In 2002 a group of volunteers replaced the fence with a wooden rail fence and purchased markers for the graves. Materials to complete the project were provided by a grant from the Johnson County Historical Society and the labor was done by volunteers.

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Obits are posted on the gateposts@ Memorial Day. Obits are always available @the Johnson County Library.

BABY SECTION

This area contains over 60 graves. Many were unmarked. In the summer of 1993, Mindy Kendall and her niece, Lauren Smith purchased and assembled markers for these graves.

Mindy's daughter,

Jennifer Lynne Kendall

is buried here.

History

Land was purchased in 1890, and the city of Buffalo began the process of establishing the Willow Grove Cemetery. Graves were moved from the old burial ground by J. P. Barmettlor. An undivided one-tenth interest in the Carwile and Lobban ditch was acquired to provide irrigation water for the cemetery. In 1903 numerous cottonwoods were planted. In 1931 the city appointed a Board to manage the property and improvements began. The city controlled the cemetery until 1975, when a Cemetery District was created. The land was then deeded by the city to the Cemetery District. In the late 1980s, Margery Weil donated $50,000 to be used to install an underground watering system. In late 1994, an anonymous donor paid to have 2,000 feet of heavy duty chain link fencing installed along the west side of the cemetery. In 2006, Betty Bergner and her family donated $100,000 to be used to complete the fencing of the property and install a cattle guard and brick gateposts, with an ornamental iron gate. An additional 49.2 acres, adjoining the cemetery to the west was purchased in February 2009. In September 2009, the Board purchased and planted 75 new trees.