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Deepwood Cemetery tour a success
By Johannes Brann jbrann.ndm@gmail.com
History came alive as a fundraising tour of Nevada’s Deepwood Cemetery saw its first run on Friday evening with more scheduled on Saturday. Six men and seven women portray one couple, three sisters and eight individuals, all of whom were prominent in the history of Nevada and/or Vernon County.
While Deepwood Cemetery contains hundreds of graves, it was founded in 1869 as a permanent resting place for soldiers — north and south — from the Civil War. Tours depart every 15 minutes — from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Friday and 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday — and a guide leads each group on a route which stops at 10 graves and several other notable markers. Plenty of lamps and torches light the way as it gets dark.
Volunteers, most of whom are veterans of CCPA productions, memorized 5-7 minutes worth of information while outfitted to look as the person.
People are to park in the lot of First Christian Church at Austin and Cedar and then ride a shuttle bus — supplied by Cottey College — to the cemetery with each tour lasting from 60 to 90 minutes.
The organizing committee was chaired by Will Tollerton, director of the Bushwhacker Museum; along with Professor Amanda Gilchrist of Cottey College; Al Fenske of the Community Council on the Performing Arts; Jack Edmiston, caretaker of Deepwood; and the generosity of First Christian Church. Proceeds from the Deepwood Cemetery Tour will be divided between the Vernon County Historical Society and the CCPA.
Said Tollerton, direc, who has wanted to do this event for several years, “When I pitched the idea to the CCPA board in June, they were enthusiastic.”
Although a lover of history, he is well aware of how for many, it is a lifeless subject.
Said Tollerton, “At of all places, a cemetery, our volunteers are making these people and what they did come alive and it’s anything but dead and boring.”
Those represented include Glessner Moore-Few, portrayed by Candi Dahmer. She was the only child of Nevada businessman, Harry C. Moore. Glessner became the first woman ever to be elected a circuit court clerk in Missouri. Later, she took over the Harry C. Moore Dry Goods store and managed it until her retirement. Along with her husband, George Few, Glessner left funds which constructed the Moore-Few Care Center in Nevada.
Harry McGinnis, portrayed by Chris Modzeleski, was a native of Nevada and a Joplin police officer. On April 13, 1933, on a call to catch what they assumed to be bootleggers, McGinnis and others found themselves in a shootout with the infamous bank robbers, Bonnie and Clyde, along with other members of the Barrow gang. Among the two officers killed in the gun battle was 53-year-old McGinnis.
Henry Hildebrandt is played by Dr. Jason Meisenheimer. Hildebrandt, a prominent early entrepreneur of Nevada, owned two saloons while later moving into real estate and banking. Marrying late in life, he built the beautiful Hildebrandt mansion on North Washington Street for his bride.
Maria Douglass Cogswell, portrayed by Jane Ann Hancock, came from an important family in the early years of Vernon County. Cogswell’s father had a large ranch with cattle and a lumber business. She and her husband were well known as upstanding members of the community.
William Henry Taylor, rendered by Kenny Jones, was an early sheriff of Vernon County. During the Civil War, Taylor had been a prominent Bushwhacker. Although captured by union troops, he survived the war, returned to Vernon County and in 1868, resumed his former post of sheriff.
Dr. Albert Churchell, portrayed by Dr. Ted Moore, was an early physician who served in the Confederate Army and settled in Nevada in 1867. He became particularly famous for “Churchell’s Liver Tonic” and a cough and croup medicine, which was claimed to be a diphtheria preventative. At the corner of Vernon and Oak is their beautiful home with its “widow’s walk,” constructed in 1888. It was restored in the early 1970s by Jim and Sherry Bickel.
U.S. Sen. William Joel Stone, rendered by Dr. Ron Jones, is probably the most famous person to come from Nevada. Stone was the only Missourian to have served as the state’s governor as well as a U.S. Representative and Senator. While he served two years as Vernon County Prosecutor and built a home here, his greatest moment was when war was declared against Germany in April, 1917. He was one of only six senators to oppose the war declaration. A statue in his honor is located on the lawn of the Vernon County courthouse.
The three Cottey sisters are portrayed by three current Cottey College students. Virginia Alice Cottey Stockard is rendered by Melanie Brucker; Dora Cottey, by Macey Holland and Mary Cottey by Ingrid Maas. Virginia, the founder of Cottey College, lived in Nevada for over 50 years. She and her sisters taught at the school and were great promoters of women’s education. The school has not only played a significant role in the physical growth of Nevada but has and continues to play a significant role in its educational and cultural life.
Rebecca Wade Gabbert is played by Ricci Wood. The matron of a family of bushwhackers, Rebecca nurtured strong southern sympathies in her nine children. Her husband, “old Bill,” was killed in Arkansas while her sons and daughter, Eliza, all participated in the conflict. While union sympathizing militia from Cedar and St. Clair counties burned Nevada on May 26, 1863, bushwhackers from Vernon County raided in Cedar County, with some stopping on their return at the Gabbert’s home. Meanwhile, as Capt. Anderson Morton and his men returned from burning Nevada, they too passed the Gabbert home. The ensuing shootout resulted in seven bushwhackers dead and the Gabbert house burned to the ground.
Dr. Albert and Sarah Badger are portrayed by Mike and Jeanne Buehler. Coming to Vernon County in 1844, Dr. Badger was one of the earliest physicians in Vernon County; Badger Township is named after him. The Badgers are credited with having the first “modern” cabin in the county, that is, it had nailed-on shingles and glass in the windows. Dr. Badger fought and was wounded in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek. He served as the first probate judge here, and played an important role in helping rebuild Nevada following the Civil War.
While Friday planned for a maximum of 104, Tollerton estimated 135 came out. Tickets for Saturday evening’s tours are still available at the Bushwhacker Museum, which will be open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.