FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The City of Springfield invites the community to celebrate 150 years of history and service to the community at the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of Hazelwood Cemetery (1642 E. Seminole St.) 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14.
At the time Hazelwood was officially dedicated, on Oct. 26, 1867, the cemetery was a long horse and buggy ride miles outside city limits. Today, Springfield has grown up around the cemetery.
Hazelwood Cemetery is maintained by Springfield Public Works and is one of the largest municipally-operated cemeteries in Missouri, with 60 developed acres and over 44,000 grave spaces. The cemetery is still actively selling grave spaces.
Hazelwood is the final resting place of many notable Springfieldians including Springfield founder John Polk Campbell; Mayor, Congressman and Judge Sempronius (Pony) Boyd; and Route 66 visionary John T. Woodruff, among others.
The Sesquicentennial Commemoration Ceremony will begin at 10 a.m., including mayoral and congressional proclamations and the unveiling of plans for a Sesquicentennial Monument. A Revolutionary War Wreath-laying by the Sons of the American Revolution and guided history walk through cemetery grounds will follow. Historical information will be shared by the Springfield History Museum and Wilson's Creek National Battlefield representatives. Faculty, students and committee members will be on hand to share details about Drury’s Hazelwood Visioning project. A Find-A-Grave volunteer contributor will be available. All are invited to pay respects to loved ones while at the cemetery.
For full event details, visit http://www.springfieldmo.gov/hazelwood.
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For more information, contact Communication Coordinator Kristen Milam at (573) 819-3713 or [email protected] or Public Grounds Operations Supervisor Joe Payne at (417) 864-1954 or [email protected].