Higginsville in Lafayette County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Our Confederate Dead
Confederate Home of Missouri Cemetery
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 11, 2015
1. Our Confederate Dead Marker
Inscription.
Our Confederate Dead. Confederate Home of Missouri Cemetery.
The Confederate Home Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 800 people. It was established early in the history of the Confederate Soldiers Home of Missouri.
The first interment was in 1891; the last occurred in 1950 when John T. Graves, the last resident Confederate veteran, died at age 108. His headstone is simply inscribed, "JOHN T. GRAVES, THE LAST OF SHELBY'S MEN."
The United Daughters of the Confederacy erected the large granite monument that dominates the cemetery in June 1906. Designed by sculptor M.H. Rice of Kansas City, it was constructed of Vermont Barre granite. The monument cost $5,000 and was dedicated to all who served the Confederacy.
The statue was inspired by the Lion of Lucerne statue in Lucerne, Switzerland, which commemorates the Swiss Guards massacred by a mob while protecting the French King Louis the XVI during the French Revolution. Rice deemed the lion, mortally wounded yet proud and defiant, as an appropriate symbol for the Confederacy.
The lion's forepaw rests upon the Seal of the Confederacy, which features a mounted George Washington surrounded by a wreath of agricultural products vital to the south. The United Daughters of the Confederacy emblem is centered directly below the lion and set against the various Confederate flags. The monument was unveiled on June 2, 1906, to a crowd of more than 5,000 people. It weighs approximately 50 tons and stands 18 feet tall.
[Photo caption reads] , The superintendent of the home and other dignitaries at the dedication of the monument. ,
, , , , , , , , , , , "Step lightly near this sacred spot, , and move with solemn tread, , For this is consecrated soil, , Where sleep our honored dead! , The sunlight shimmers through the boughs , Of shadowy forest trees, , Nature weeps here, her silent tears, , A requiem sighs the breeze, , When the tall grasses gently wave, , the wild flowers lift its head, , As if its tribute sweet, , to bring to our Confederate dead,... , Elizabeth Ustick McKinney, 1894.
The Confederate Home Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 800 people. It was established early in the history of the Confederate Soldiers Home of Missouri.
The first interment was in 1891; the last occurred in 1950 when John T. Graves, the last resident Confederate veteran, died at age 108. His headstone is simply inscribed, "JOHN T. GRAVES, THE LAST OF SHELBY'S MEN."
The United Daughters of the Confederacy erected the large granite monument that dominates the cemetery in June 1906. Designed by sculptor M.H. Rice of Kansas City, it was constructed of Vermont Barre granite. The monument cost $5,000 and was dedicated to all who served the Confederacy.
The statue was inspired by the Lion of Lucerne statue in Lucerne, Switzerland, which commemorates the Swiss Guards massacred by a mob while protecting the French King Louis the XVI during the French Revolution. Rice deemed the lion, mortally wounded yet proud and defiant, as an appropriate symbol for the Confederacy.
The lion's forepaw rests upon the Seal of the Confederacy, which features a mounted George Washington surrounded by a wreath of agricultural products vital to the south. The United Daughters of the Confederacy emblem is centered directly below the lion and set against the various Confederate flags. The monument was unveiled on June 2, 1906, to
Click or scan to see this page online
a crowd of more than 5,000 people. It weighs approximately 50 tons and stands 18 feet tall.
[Photo caption reads]
The superintendent of the home and other dignitaries at the dedication of the monument.
——————————
"Step lightly near this sacred spot,
and move with solemn tread,
For this is consecrated soil,
Where sleep our honored dead!
The sunlight shimmers through the boughs
Of shadowy forest trees,
Nature weeps here, her silent tears,
A requiem sighs the breeze,
When the tall grasses gently wave,
the wild flowers lift its head,
As if its tribute sweet,
to bring to our Confederate dead,...
Elizabeth Ustick McKinney, 1894
Location. 39° 5.916′ N, 93° 43.774′ W. Marker is in Higginsville, Missouri, in Lafayette County. Marker is on 1st Street, 0.4 miles north of Business Missouri Route 13, on the left when traveling north. Marker is just inside the cemetery entrance at the Confederate Memorial State Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Higginsville MO 64037, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 11, 2015
3. Markers at Confederate Memorial State Historic Site Cemetery Entrance
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 11, 2015
4. John T. Graves - The Last Burial
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 11, 2015
5. Confederate Home Chapel and Cemetery
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 11, 2015
6. Confederate Home Cemetery
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 11, 2015
7. Confederate Home Cemetery
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 11, 2015
8. Confederate Home Cemetery Sign
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 11, 2015
9. The Lion of Lucerne Monument
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on November 28, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 439 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on November 28, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
