This
file part of www.oakhillcemetery.info
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Watertown’s First Cemetery
1845
The
old cemetery on Richards' hill, fronting on
1845
The
cemetery was established in 1845 by Silas W. Newcomb when he had the 2.84 acres
surveyed and platted.
First owner of the 140 acre
parcel was Silas W.
Newcomb who acquired the land in 1838 from the United States government. 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
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).
Map
and aerial view obtained from www.lps.wels.net. Location of cemetery superimposed by author.
Richards’ estate
Northwestern College founded
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.
_________________________________________________
Letter
from Dr. J. M. O’Connell
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.
Most of article derived from Quam, Sy, John Richards: The Hill and The Mill, GJ
Graphics (Watertown, WI), 1984 pp 22-23.
Source contains map of cemetery and legend.
Compiled by Ken Riedl