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Further details can be found in these write-ups. (Click colored link to open.)
- PCC – 2022 Preservation Conference – Cemetery Tour Information Packet (Brief write-up with a few photos)
- PCC – Preliminary Site Information Questionnaire (PSIQ) Completed for Kansas State Historical Society 2021 – (Complete write-up with many photos)
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How was the cemetery established?
The land for Prairie City Cemetery (PCC) “was set aside by the government to be used as a cemetery at the time Prairie City was organized in 1855. This was located in the north 1/2 of Block 16, on the SW corner of Republican [now E.1600 Rd] and Harris Streets [one block north of current N. 200 Rd]. In September 1857 as the town of Prairie City was growing by leaps and bounds, there was concern about the burying ground being located in one of the best portions of the townsite for the business houses, and at the center of a populous and bustling city. The association was asked to consider moving the few graves before the task became expensive.” (Butell, 1972) The cemetery never moved and remains in its original 1855 location today. The cemetery remains in use today and its size and shape have not changed from the original.
Who did this cemetery serve?
Prairie City Cemetery (PCC) has been open to the general public since 1855. It is assumed that no practicing Catholics have been buried here since Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery is to our south, but no rules or regulations exist (or, to our knowledge, have existed) regarding who can be buried in PCC. Members of various religions including Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, United Brethren, and even one-time Catholics are buried here. We know this information from markings on the tombstones, obituaries and biographical information, and other early historical records.
PCC initially served the people who settled in and around the town of Prairie City, Kansas Territory. These people included Territorial pioneers, persons involved in the fight to make Kansas a Free State, immigrants from countries overseas, emigrants from the Eastern United States, the early founders of Douglas and Franklin Counties, and after 1861 – Kansas pioneers, and Civil War veterans. Of course, many members of the town of Prairie City were buried here. This group includes town leaders, citizens, business owners and operators, and religious leaders as well as people from surrounding small communities.
Because Prairie City was established in Douglas County only 1.5 miles north of the Franklin County line, some of its citizens established their claims in Franklin County. Several of these citizens (now buried at PCC) were the pioneers of that county, became leaders in Franklin County, and were instrumental in building neighboring towns such as Wellsville once Prairie City no longer existed. Some buried at PCC were residents of other small Franklin County towns such as Norwood that also had a short existence in the early days of Kansas. This area/topic is being researched and will be documented in the future as well.
In the later 1800s, as Prairie City became adjacent to Baldwin City, the cemetery continued to serve the surrounding communities. Veterans of every war (including the War of 1812) are here. Leaders and builders of the Baldwin community (including the rural community), builders of Baker University, religious leaders, missionaries, citizens of other communities, and even a famous early 1900‘s professional baseball player (Luther Hayden Taylor) are interred in PCC.
Burials began 1856 – cemetery still in use
The first burial in Prairie City Cemetery was August 2, 1856. The most recent burial was October 2021. Total burials are about 625-650. Not all graves are marked with stones or other markers, and not all markers are legible. In the cases of illegible markers, some records are incomplete, so the name of the interred is unknown. The early records of the cemetery were destroyed by fire in the 1930s, hence the unknown and unmarked graves.
