No information on the beginnings of the Winterset Cemetery has been found. It was put in use at about the time the townsite was established. For a number of years, it was known as the "Rock City Cemetery". This name is believed to have originated with Col. Henry Cummings, editor of the Winterset Madisonian, who, in the early 1870s, was promoting the Madison County quarries for stone to build the Iowa State Capitol building whose construction started in 1871. There were several articles (editorials) in the Madisonian exhorting the virtues of Madison county stone and proclaiming Winterset as the "Rock City" of Iowa.
The current day Winterset Cemetery, located at the south end of 4th Street, has been expanded several times since inception. There are over 9000 marked graves and perhaps well over 1000 unmarked graves.
"Please be respectful, do not hunt at night, do not disturb mourners, and leave this peaceful and revered place in good condition. Remember to practice CITO, always. Thank you."
While placing caches in Madison County we encountered many dead end roads and lots of them that are level B roads – this means there is NO gravel on them – they are mud after it rains. If you get stuck, you will have to call a tow truck. Please be aware of this and use caution when hunting these caches.