Lebanon Cemetery

History of the Lebanon Cemetery Association
Lebanon, Missouri

The Lebanon Cemetery had its beginning on September 26, 1857, when John B. Harris and his wife, Martha, deeded 4½ acres of land to a group of citizens for use as a cemetery. This original parcel is located at the southwest corner of Highway 5 and Brice Street. The earliest known burial occurred on December 15, 1857, based on surviving gravestones.

Little documentation survives from the cemetery's early years. However, an 1899 newspaper article noted that a number of Union soldiers were once buried there and later reinterred at the Federal Cemetery in Springfield, Missouri. The article also states that many bodies were moved from the McPhail Cemetery, which was located near Ash Street and Harwood Avenue, to the newer cemetery. Neither cemetery was known to have an official name at that time.

By 1872, apparent dissatisfaction with the cemetery's management led three local fraternal lodges to act. Center Lodge No. 410 A.F. & A.M., Laclede Lodge No. 83 A.F. & A.M., and Auglaize Lodge No. 192 I.O.O.F. (Independent Order of Odd Fellows) collaborated to ensure a properly maintained burial ground for the Lebanon community. Their joint effort led to the creation of the Lebanon Cemetery Association, incorporated under Missouri law. While the lodges retained the right to appoint members to the Board of Trustees, they held no direct control over the Association’s operations. Legal ownership and decision-making authority rested solely with the Trustees.

The newly formed Association assumed responsibility for the original 1857 cemetery and expanded it significantly. Over the next 30 years, additional land acquisitions brought the total cemetery grounds to approximately 20 acres.

Today, the Lebanon Cemetery Association operates as a 501(c)(13) nonprofit (EIN 44-0501791), governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees. The current officers include:

President: Phil Knott

Treasurer: James Morgan

Secretary: Jeff Stokes

The cemetery office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and is located at P.O. Box 1521, Lebanon, Missouri.

The Association continues to uphold its mission of perpetual care, rooted in the fraternal and civic responsibility that shaped its founding. It remains a vital institution preserving Lebanon’s history and honoring those laid to rest.