The Kansas City Public Library marks the launch of a new book, Elmwood Cemetery: Stories of Kansas City, on Wednesday, October 6, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

The event will feature a panel discussion moderated by Kansas City Public Library Director Crosby Kemper III. Panelists include Bruce Mathews, a professional photographer and Elmwood Cemetery trustee, and several of the authors he recruited to contribute chapters to the book: Mary Davidson Cohen, Joanne Collins, Monroe Dodd, Adele Hall, Barnett Helzberg, Anita Gorman, and Doug Weaver.

Elmwood Cemetery: Stories of Kansas City brings to life the stories of the people who built Kansas City. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Elmwood Cemetery was founded in 1872 at 4900 Truman Rd. in Kansas City, Missouri. It’s grounds, designed by noted landscape architect George Kessler, are a repository for some 36,000 souls—some famous, some infamous, some altogether unknown. Their stories tell the greater story of Kansas City, from its earliest days as a frontier town, through the boom years when railroads first rumbled across the Missouri River, and on into the 20th century.

Copies of Elmwood Cemetery: Stories of Kansas City will be available for sale. All proceeds will be donated to the Elmwood Cemetery Society.

The authors will sign copies purchased during the event. The event is co-sponsored by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Don and Adele HaHall, and Matthews Communications.