The Olathe Memorial Cemetery in Olathe, Kansas, has won a place on the National Register of Historic Places. The City of Olathe owns the site, which has been in use since 1865, and comprises 26 acres.
The cemetery won recognition for efforts it has made to keep its historic integrity intact. Among these are the setting, design, materials, location, and workmanship of the chapel, as well as the war memorial, and two mausoleums. Many of the city's earliest settlers are buried here, as are former governors of Kansas, soldiers from several of the nation's wars, and various economic and civic leaders.
In 2015, the National Parks Service (NPS), which is part of the Department of the Interior, awarded a Kansas Historic Preservation Fund Grant to the Olathe Historic Preservation Board. The money allowed Olathe to hire R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc., a firm of preservation consultants, which helped research and prepare the documentation necessary to nominate the cemetery for inclusion on the National Register.
The Olathe Memorial Cemetery is the only cemetery in the county to win this type of recognition thus far.
Communities like this can benefit by working with a newsletter printing company, which can create a piece that highlights the features of the cemetery that won the award, as well as discus the process used when places are nominated for the honor.
