The Chris Moeller Archives

Looking for new and interesting things to do in St. Louis after about 70 other visits, I journeyed to Bellefontaine Cemetery, which over time has apparently come to be pronounced 'Bell-Fountain' by the locals. The visit allowed me to pay my respects to some of the more notable figures in U.S. history, at least those that resided in the vicinity of what was once the largest city in the West.

Bellefontaine is the oldest "garden" or "rural" cemetery on this side of the Mississippi. The first internment took place on April 27, 1850. By "garden" or "rural," we mean that the original cemeteries, in the European tradition, could be found in the shadow of churches. But as American cities rapidly grew in the mid-19th century, those burial grounds started to take up valuable real estate. Also, as churches would often relocate to better their financial imperative, the cemeteries would naturally be left behind and often fall into neglect. Rural spaces for the dead-- peaceful, dignified, and amicable to contemplation for the grieving -- became the new ideal.

Their are some larger-than-life bigwigs lying in eternal slumber at Bellefontaine among the 86,000-some bodies buried over 314 acres. The most often-visited marker belongs to Captain William Clark, who you probably know better as the Daryl Hall of the 19th century pop-singing duo "Lewis and Clark." Some of the captain's neighbors on the other side of the impressively-manicured Bellefontaine lawn include William S. Burroughs, the Beat Generation author; Captain Isaiah Sellers, the steamboat captain Mark Twain made famous in "Life on the Mississippi"; and famous beer baron Adolphus Busch, who despite not spending a penny of his massive fortune for 99 years, still sleeps in a room larger than my apartment. Anybody can get into Bellefontaine-- the cemetery doesn't discriminate based on class, race, or creed-- but the wealthiest customers are the ones that make their presence known.

Cemeteries are fun-- especially this one-- for three reasons.

1) You can look for celebrities-- and unlike when that person was alive, there usually aren't other gawkers with which to contend. Bellefontaine has so many formerly-leading citizens entombed within its borders that it offers a visitor center and a formal, self-guided walking tour.

2) It's like a scavenger hunt when you're looking for specific markers.

And 3) They're very interesting, sociologically-speaking. A person's marker tells a lot about his or her life-- one's cultural tradition, religion, relationship to family, personal aesthetic or lack thereof, and of course, in many cases, level of vanity.

There's a lot of green space remaining in Bellefontaine-- room to grow, as it were. It was a perfect afternoon for my visit-- a warm day, a soft breeze blowing, and the grounds offering ample shade. To paraphrase an unrelated Mark Twain line, few of the living complained, and none of the others.

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Match the Bellefontaine resident with his nickname in life. Open book, open notes. Answers tomorrow...

1) Thomas Hart Benton a)The Crazy Dutchman

2) James Yeatman b)Cut Face

3)Adolphus Busch c)Mr. Mac

4)William Clark d)Der boss president of der Prowns

5)William Sublette e)Old Sanitary

6)James S. McDonnell, Jr. f)Red-Headed Chief

7)Christian von der Ahe g)Old Bullion