Kearney in Clay County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Welcome to Mount Olivet Cemetery
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 21, 2025
1. Welcome to Mount Olivet Cemetery Marker
Mount Olivet Cemetery was established in 1868 by pioneers who organized the Mount Olive Church in the John Sleet Major home on December 25, 1856.
The original church structure was built in the northwest corner of Uriel Cave's field in the old Centerville area. In 1872, three years after Kearney was incorporated, Mount Olive Church changed its name to the First Baptist Church of Kearney. After a tornado in June 1900 destroyed the original church building, the congregation relocated to the center of Kearney, where it currently remains. In 1902, after having been interred for 20 years outside his mother's farmhouse, the remains of Jesse James were exhumed and reinterred in the James family plot at Mount Olivet Cemetery.
"Walk to the Grave" Instructions [not transcribed]
Erected 2025 by Kearney First Baptist Church.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is December 25, 1856.
Location. 39° 22.046′ N, 94° 21.854′ W. Marker is in Kearney, Missouri, in Clay County.
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Regionally, this marker is in the Missouri River Corridor and in Greater Kansas City. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Howard Porter (approx. 0.4 miles away); Matthew David Mason CPO (approx. 0.4 miles away); James Farm (approx. 2.9 miles away); Watkins Mill (approx. 6.3 miles away); Hall of Waters (approx. 7.8 miles away); a different marker also named Hall of Waters (approx. 7.8 miles away); Bell-Pharis House (approx. 8.3 miles away); Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary (approx.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 21, 2025
2. Welcome to Mount Olivet Cemetery Marker
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 21, 2025
3. Jesse James' Gravesite in Mount Olivet Cemetery
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 21, 2025
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Credits. This page was last revised on October 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 26, 2025, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 123 times since then and 89 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 26, 2025, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
