Legendary mountain man Jim Bridger, newspaper mogul William Rockhill Nelson, and sisters Alice Berry Graham and Katharine Berry Richardson – the founders of Children’s Mercy Hospital – are a few of many notable Kansas Citians buried in Mount Washington Cemetery.
Incorporated in 1901, Mount Washington was developed on a scenic, 400-acre tract of land east of the city chosen by renowned landscape architect George Kessler.
In a discussion of his award-winning book Mount Washington Cemetery: In Search of Lost Time, local historian Bruce Mathews spotlights the contributions of those buried there and examines efforts to preserve the cemetery’s historically significant landmarks. One such project is the restoration of its most prominent structure, the 100-year-old William Rockhill Nelson Memorial Chapel.
Mathews, a retired photographer turned author and historian, serves as president of the Mount Washington Cemetery Historical Society. He previously published books on historic Elmwood and Union cemeteries, and other topics related to Kansas City’s past.
