Union Cemetery in Kansas City holds fundraiser for Memorial Day
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — This Memorial Day weekend, the oldest cemetery in Kansas City is holding a special fundraiser to honor some of the famous people buried there.
Union Cemetery, located just east of the National World War I Museum and Memorial, was founded in 1857. It is the site of over 55 thousand burials, some of which hold people who helped shape this city.
Fourth Fridays return to downtown Olathe for summer 2024
Artists like George Caleb Bingham — known as ‘the Missouri artist’ — and Businessmen like Alexander Majors — an entrepreneur and co-founder of the Pony Express — both rest in this plot of land, surrounded by the hustle-and-bustle of Kansas City’s streets.
Union Cemetery also holds several veterans, many of which served in different wars and battles dating back to the Revolutionary War. There are even soldiers from both sides of the Civil War.
Now, in honor of those buried on the historic site and those who played a role in shaping what Kansas City is today, the cemetery is holding a fundraiser called ‘Historical Epitaphs: Voices from the Past‘ — a nine-actor portrayal that retells the stories of those in the buried on the land.
Hattie Kearney was one of the first Black women in Kansas City buried in the white section of the cemetery.
Kearney, who passed away in her 90s, was purchased at 11 years old by the Kearney family at a slave auction in the 1840s. She was immediately freed by the family and worked for them for the rest of her life.
Things to do in Kansas City on Memorial Day Weekend
She was buried alongside the Kearney family after she died.
“I think the fact that she had the temerity at 11 years old, the bravado to wave down Mr. Kearney or Colonel Kearney, and say ‘buy me’. That’s amazing to me,” Dana Cutler, the actress playing Hattie Drisdom Kearney said.
“At a time when black people were not allowed to even look directly at white people. For her to be like, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna throw that aside and take this chance.’ And it was the best choice that she could have made.”
This weekend, those who go by the cemetery will see more than 300 flags, placed by Boy Scouts, honoring Memorial Day and the burial sites of those who served.
The historic tour will continue through Sunday but don’t wait because a limited amount of tickets are available now at eventbrite.com.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
