Cold Water Cemetery, originally the Patterson family burial ground, is a historic cemetery located at 15290 Old Halls Ferry Road in Old Jamestown in what was known as the Sinks, near Florissant, St. Louis County, Missouri.[1] The cemetery is 2 acres and was historically most active between 1809 and 1929, however, it is still in use.[2][3] It is owned and managed by the Missouri State Society Daughters of the American Revolution.[2] It is thought to be the oldest Protestant cemetery still in use, west of the Mississippi River.[2][4]
Cold Water Cemetery | |
 | |
| Location | 15290 Old Halls Ferry Road Florissant, Missouri 63034 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°50′3″N 90°17′0″W / 38.83417°N 90.28333°W |
| Area | 2 acres |
| Built | c. 1809 |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000462 |
| Added to NRHP | May 19, 2004 |
It has been listed as one of the National Register of Historic Places since May 19, 2004.[5]
History
editJohn Patterson (1760–1839), of Scotch-Irish descent, was a Revolutionary War veteran who had emigrated from North Carolina; in 1797 he received a Spanish land grant in Upper Louisiana.[2] There is conflicting information around the size of the original land grant, with estimates between 600 acres and 1500 acres. The cemetery began as a plot for the Patterson family, with the earliest burial estimated to be in 1809 for John Patterson's wife Keziah Horneday Patterson.[2] Around 1809, a log church was erected on the site, later the first location of Cold Water Church, now Salem Baptist Church. The church is no longer standing, but there is a memorial plaque.[2][1]
In the 1970s a restoration effort took place to clean up the landscaping and repair broken or misplaced headstones.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Thomas, William Lyman (1911). History of Saint Louis County, Missouri. County Living Publications. pp. 87–88. ISBN 978-1-4507-6793-4.
- ^ a b c d e f g Miller, Janett Rowland (May 19, 2004). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Coldwater Cemetery" (PDF). National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-01-01.
- ^ Harris, Nini (2020-10-01). Oldest St. Louis. Reedy Press LLC. pp. 54–56. ISBN 978-1-68106-279-2.
- ^ "MSSDAR Joins Alliance Partnership With Missouri 2021 Bicentennial". Lee's Summit Tribune. 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
- ^ "NPGallery Asset Detail: Coldwater Cemetery". National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2022-01-01.