History and Facts
Newton Union Cemetery
Newton, Iowa
One measure of the pride of any community is the condition of its cemetery. The superior
maintenance of Newton Union is a reflection of the pride and respect which Newton has for the heritage
which hasbeen left by its former residents.
The cemetery provides a record of the development of
Newton and a link with the past.
Newton Union Cemetery was established in an area of
native trees and hazel brush. From the original 11 1/2 acres, purchased from Jacob and Elizabeth
Guthrie, it has grown to contain almost 60 acres.
The older sections of the cemetery were laid out in lots of 8 and 12 graves, with walkways
surrounding each lot. Either half or full lots could be purchased. Most lots were mounded, and a few
still retain their original curbings. Some lots were designated “single entry,” and in these one or more
spaces could be purchased as needed. Today, spaces in the newer sections are purchased in the
number needed, and memorials may be no more than 12 inches tall.
A separate “Potter’s Field” was
maintained for many years, not only as a place to bury indigents, but also as an area where single
graves could be purchased.
Newton Union has three areas which are primarily devoted to infant
burials.
From the beginning, Newton Union was developed in a very orderly manner, with thought given to
the future. Families tended to bury their dead in family lots, and even in 1992 burials are still being
made in lots which belong to the heirs of the original purchasers of over one hundred [100] years ago.
The first records of the cemetery were destroyed about 1889, which made the identification of
unmarked graves difficult. This problem is compounded by the absence of early newspaper files and
funeral home records.
The first town cemetery, the Newton Graveyard, was located north of the Square where the Newton
Optometric Center is now located. There is no record of the number of burials, nor of the date of the
first burial. Since the cemetery is shown on the 1846 plat of Newton, it may be assumed that the first
burial could have been made before 1850.
Newton Union was established in 1854 as the Ladies Union Circle Cemetery, and it is possible that
burials were made in both cemeteries until about 1858. The bodies in the Newton Graveyard were
moved to Newton Union prior to the Civil War so death prior to 1854 indicates the burial was first made
in another cemetery.
In 1984 the gravestone of William Nosler, 1852-1853, was found
on the Newton Graveyard site. The stone was later placed in Newton Union, along with a small box of earth from the
grave yard site.
Reaching Newton Union in the early days was not always easy. It was the custom for many of the
mourners to follow the hearse on foot. Wet weather turned the road into a quagmire, a fact noted in
some obituaries. Morgan Funeral Home records indicate that a sled was sometimes used to carry
coffins to the cemetery in winter. In 1888, a 4 foot wide walk of seasoned white oak,
350 rods long, was constructed so that foot travel to the cemetery would be easier. The walk remained in use for 19 years. In 1894, an effort was
made to improve the road, but it was not until 1920 that paving was extended from Joe Horn’s house on
1st Street North to the cemetery.In 1927, E. A. Thornton donated $500 to pave the cemetery street from the H. J. Skiff lot to the
chapel. In 1928, his will specified that his estate was to be used to finish the cemetery paving. By
paving only single lanes, the city was able to complete the project using Mr. Thornton’s funds.
Women played an important part in the development of the cemetery. Original cemetery lot deeds
were issued by the Ladies Union Circle, women urged the construction of the sidewalk, started the
street paving project, and in 1921 formed the Newton Cemetery Improvement Association which
provided for the establishment of a perpetual care fund.
In 1900, a cemetery chapel was built on Lot 71, Block 5. It contained a small reed organ given to
the cemetery by the Busy Bee society. The chapel was most often used for brief services for
individuals who were returned to Newton for burial. When the chapel was razed after the second world
war, it was found that it had been built over an unmarked grave
.
A community mausoleum, containing 200 crypts, was constructed in 1910. It was “so firmly built
that it would be almost impossible for the strongest cyclonic wind to harm it.” In the fall of 1930 “one of
the towers, erected on the corners of the building, toppled over and plunged through the roof, causing
considerable wreck and ruin.” This ended the controversy over the future of the rapidly deteriorating
structure, and in 1931, the mausoleum was razed after the last of the forty bodies had been removed
.It is still possible to see the outline of the foundation of the mausoleum between Blocks 14 and 15.
There are three private mausoleums in Newton Union. Colonel William Manning and John Schnell
both built two crypt mausoleums, and F. l. Maytag is buried in a four crypt vestibule type mausoleum.
In 1988, major repairs were made to the Maytag mausoleum after it was discovered that the mortar
around the cornerstone had deteriorated and that the north was becoming bowed. The mausoleum’s
plantings were removed at this time because it was determined that they were causing structural harm.
A fourth private mausoleum, or vault, was constructed by Dr. Marion R. Hammer. Because of the
poor manner in which it was constructed, it was never used. Dr. Hammer also had a copper covered
cyprus coffin built locally and it was placed in the community mausoleum. Dr. Hammer supervised the
construction of the coffin, and several times he climbed into it to insure that it would properly fit. The
coffin deteriorated in the mausoleum, and Dr. Hammer was buried in a massive glass casket when he
died in 1940. Probably no person buried in Newton Union spent more time and effort planning for his
own burial than Dr. Hammer.
Newton Union is the burial place for veterans from all wars except the American Revolution. Three
veterans of the War of 1812 and 254 Union veterans have been joined by veterans from all of the
succeeding wars. Although most of the Union veterans are buried on family lots, two separate areas
are dedicated to those who had no family plots. After the “Civil War Mound” was filled, Garrett Post No.
16 acquired 4 lots in Block 8, heading a directive from G.A.R. headquarters, that no Union soldiers
should be buried in “Potter’s Fields.” In 1935, a section of over 300 grave sites was established for the
burial of veterans and their wives. Another 786 spaces were added to the section in 1980.
On Memorial Day about 400 American flags are placed along both sides of the street from the main
gate to the Veteran’s section. In addition, hundreds of small flags are placed on individual graves. One
feature of the Memorial Day observance is a walking concert by the Newton Municipal band, which plays
selections at the graves of its former members. The formal Memorial Day program is organized by the
veteran’s organizations.
When the city added the land to the west of the original sections of the cemetery, Ray F. Wyrick, a
well known cemetery landscape engineer, was hired to lay out the roads and to advise the city on
plantings. At this time, a small spring fed lake was added on the south edge of the cemetery.
The plantings in the cemetery include many flowers such as iris, tulips, lilies of the valley, and
peonies. Spiraea, lilac, and privet, along with varieties of evergreens are some of the shrubs to be
seen. In the older sections of the cemetery there are oak trees over one hundred [100] years old, as
well as shag bark hickories, maples, sycamores, cedars, pines, and spruces. Some of these are
among the finest specimensof their species to be found in Newton.
Nearly all of the twelve basic cemetery memorial design types listed by the American Monument
Association may be found in Newton Union, along with many other lot embellishments such as urns,
planters, bird baths, anda bench. A wide variety of symbols are represented in the cemetery. These include religious, military,
fraternal and social, occupations, and traditional, some of which may have more than one meaning.
In 1992, paving was added at the north end of the cemetery and lot sales began in sections 34 and 35.
To the ten [10] men who are known to have served as sexton of Newton Union must go the credit for the fine appearance of the cemetery. Their dedication, along with that of the men who have assisted them, is one reason that Newton Union is considered one of the best maintained cemeteries in Iowa.
Be respectful of the area