xt7ghx15n273 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7ghx15n273/data/mets.xml Lexington Cemetery Company. 1895  books b92-92-27695099 English Transylvania Printing Co., : Lexington, Ky. : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Lexington Cemetery (Lexington, Ky.) Cemeteries Kentucky Lexington. Meeting of the lot owners held March 11th, 1895  / Lexington Cemetery. text Meeting of the lot owners held March 11th, 1895  / Lexington Cemetery. 1895 2002 true xt7ghx15n273 section xt7ghx15n273 











Lexington

   Cemetery

 
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THE CHAP'EL.

 





      LEXI NGTON






CE1MO   ET E1RY9









      ORGANIZED 1849.



MEETING OF THE
        MARCH



LOT
1 1TH,



OWNERS HELD
1895.



   LEXINGTON, KY.:
TRANSYLVANIA PRINTING CO.
      189s5.

 























     Lexington Cemetery.



       Chairman and Trustees.

II. M. SKILLMAN, M. D., Chairmaii.

            Trustees.



R. T. ANDERSON,

E. P. SHELBY,

J. S. WOOLFOLK,



JOSEPH CLARK,

JOHN ALLEN,

M. P. LANCASTER.

 











Brief History of the Cemetery.



  Lexington Cemetery was founded in 1849 after the
city had been visited by cholera, and the necessity for
a commodious repository of the dead was demonstrated
by that plague. The following gentlemen subscribed in
the aggregate 12,000, 7000 of which was invested in
forty acres of land, the purchase being made of Thos.
E. Boswell:



MI T. Scott,
Benj Gratz,
S. Swift,
Jolhn Tilford,
A. T. Skillman,
(T. W. Sutton,
Joel Higgins,
J. B. Tilford,
D. M. Craig,
Benj. \Varfield,
E. Warfield,
T. E. Boswell,



      M. C. Jolhnson,
      R. Higgins,
      R. Wickliffe,
      D. A. Sayre,
      E. K. Sayre,
      H. T. Duncan,
      J. Hemingway,
      Johr Lutz.
      A. F. Hawkins,
      R. J. Breckinridge,
      E. McAlister,
      J. M. Bush,
John Brand.

 










Lexington Cemetery.



                  Preliminary fleetings.

                       LEXNGTON, January 23, 1849.
  At an accidental meeting of those anxious to estab-
lish a cemetery, were present M. T. Scott, Benj. Gratz,
Madison C. Johnson and Richard Higgins; where-
upon it was resolved that M. C. Johnson draw up a
subscription paper, and that each one named use every
exertion to procure subscribers. The followingis a copy
of said paper.
  The subscribers each agree to pay to the Lexington
Cemetery Company the sums annexed to our names, for
the purpose of purchasing the site of the cemetery and
of enclosing and laying out the same, the land to be
vested in said corporation, and the sums by us paid to be
reimbursed to us, with interest, from the sales of lots as
provided in the charter. No subscription less than five
hundred dollars. Nor is this subscription to be binding
until the sum of ten thousand dollars is subscribed. The
amounts to be paid as the same shall become necessary
for the payment of the land, and for enclosing and lay-
ing it out, at the call of the corporation, and shall not
exceed fifty per cent. in any one year.
  In pursuance of the above the subscribers met at the
office of M. C. Johnson oln January 27th, 1849. A commit-
tee was appointed to select a location for the cemetery
and the present site, containing forty acres, was purchased

 




LEXINGTON CEMETERY.



from Thos. E. Boswell, for which the sum of seven thous-
and dollars was paid. On March 15th, 1849, at a meet-
ing of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Abraham T. Skillman
was unanimously elected President, Richard Higgins was
elected Secretary, and M. T. Scott was elected Treasurer.
  On July 11, 1849, the price of lots was fixed at 10 cents
per square foot, at which price a great many lots were
sold, but in a few days the price was advanced to 15 cents
per square foot. On the 1st of April Mr. C. S. Bell was
chosen Superintendent, who has been with the Company
ever since, except one year.

                      Dedication.
  On the 25th of June, 1850, the cemetery was dedicated
with imposing ceremonies. The business houses of the
city were closed and an immense procession, composed
of the Masonic Order, Odd Fellows, Sons of Temperance,
Societies of Transylvaniac University and citizens in car-
riages and on foot proceeded to the cemetery. An open-
ing prayer by Rev. Dr. Miller, of the Methodist Church,
was followed by an ode composed by Prof. R. S. Ruter, of
Transylvania University and concluded with this stanza

           O' thou God, ouv Friend and Father,
         May the names these gravestones bear,
         When we all shall rise together.
         In thy 5ook of Life appear.

  The dedication sermon was delivered by Rev. Dr. R.
J. Breckinridge, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church,
and the closing prayer wias delivered by Rev. E. F. Berk-
ley, Rector of Christ Episcopal Church.



7

 





LEXINGTON CEMETERY.



  On thle 29th of November, 1858, E. D. Sayre was elected
Secretary and Treasurer to succeed J. C. Butler, who
moved to St. Louis, and he has served continuously
ever since without compensation.
  On Oct. 15, 1858, five acres and three-quarters of
ground were purchased fromn Payne's heirs, a3nd March
11, 186S3, thirteen and one-quarter acres were pur-
chased from D. T. Adams. In May, 1883, the Sommer-
ville property of four and one-eighth acres was purchased
for quarry purposes, and the last purchase was the Lee
place of which the cemetery retained fifty-two acres,
making the whole real estate owned by the cemetery
about 110 acres at this time (April, 1893). In March,
1867, Major Madison C. Johnson was elected President,
and lie served continuously till his death in December,
1886.
                 The Clay Monument.

  In 1857 the cemetery company deeded for and in con-
sideration of one dollar, to the Clay Monument Associa-
tion, the beautiful lot on which the monument is built.
It was erected at a cost of 34,263, and on the 4tl of July
the same year, it was dedicated with imposing ceremonies,
a great many distinguished men from all over the coun-
try being present.
                      The Chapel.
  In 1890 it was thought advisable to build a chapel,
waiting rooms, and office at the entrance to the cemetery
and the beautiful structure that now adorns the grounds
was erected at a cost of about 15,000, and it is found ex-
ceedingly useful as well as ornamental.



8



 


















































A. T. SKILLMAN.

 









Lots Donated by the Cemetery Company.



  A lot was donated for the burial of Union soldiers who
died in the hospitals of the city.
  The United States Government afterwards purchased
an addition to said lot to disinter the remains of
soldiers buried in the adjoining counties and have them
buried in this lot. The addition to lot was purchased
oln the first day of July, 1867.
                    Confederate Lot.
  This lot was donated for the burial of Confederate
dead in 1862, and the Confederate Veteran Association,
on February 2d, 1892, purchased an addition to it, so as
to make it large enough to bury any one who had been
in the Confederate army who desired to be buried in said
lot. Since then they have erected a imonutuent onl the
portion purchased with all the names of these buried in
the lot, on the monument.
               White Protestant Churches.
  Lots were donated to the white Protestant churches
in the city to bury their poor members and their fain-
ilies. Beautiful lots have been laid off in the western
portion of the cemetery for that purpose.
                   Spinoza Society.
  The Spinioza Society, a corporation chartered by the
General Assembly of the State of Kentucky.
  The ct metery company sold to said society on the sec-
ond day of' December 1894, section E. 1, to be used
exclusively as the burial ground of' persons of the
Hebrew faith, with the same privileges that are guaran-
teed to other lot owners by the charter of the Cemetery.


 









Meeting of Lot Owners.



   In answer to the following call a large and represent-
ative meeting of the lot owners in the cemetery met in
the Circuit Court room of the court-house on Monday,
March 11th, 1895.
  WHEREAS, We, the lot owners and the only stockhold-
ers of the Lexington Cemetery, have seen with indigna-
tion,,the recent base effort to defame and bring into dis-
repute the Chairman and Trustees of the cemetery, who
are substantial and honorable gentlemen, and who have
served us for many years without compensation andwith
a fidelity and efficiency seldom witnessed; therefore we
call a meeting of lot owners of said cemetery, to be held
in the court-house in Lexington, on Monday, March 11,
county court day, at 2 o'clock P. NI., to give expression
to our confidence in said Chairman and Trustees, and to
express our indignation at thre aspersions that have been
cast on their characters.
  On motion of Dr. L. B. Todd, the venerable Judge R.
A. Buckner wvas chosen to preside and Mr. W. L. Threl-
keld was elected secretary.
  Judge Buckner, after the reading of the call, with great
earnestness and emotion, spoke as follows
             Judge R. A. Buckner's Remarks.
  Gmntlemen, the object or purpose of this meeting is
disclosed by the petition for the calling of the meeting,
which has just been read by the secretary. You will
perceive that the name of no officer of the corporation is
attached to it It was called at the desire of the lot own-

 





LEXINGTON CEMETERY.



ers of the Lexington Cemetery to refute the slanderous
and uncalled for charges made and published in newspa-
pers of this and another State. Therefore whatever may
be your action, it cannot be imputed to the procurement
or solicitation of any officer of the body ; it was the vol-
untary act of lot owners conscious of the purity and integ-
rity of their trustees, to remove a stain attempted to be
put upon their character by two anonymous letters sent
from this place to two widely circulating papers; one in
the city of Louisville and the other in Cincinnati. I do
not believe that these charges were maliciously made,
but were caused by a desire to furnish those two papers
with sensational news; and the publication of such accu-
sations, without due investigation as to the truth of the
same, is scarcely less excusable than if maliciously done.
  It will be remembered by all of you then. living that in
1848 the cemeteries of Lexington, for want of curators
and sufficient means to keep them in repair, had fallen
into ruin, being but waste places for straying cattle, and
a resort for dissipation, covered by the shadows of night.
A number of wealthy and plhlilantl)Iopic gentlemen deter-
mined to remove this stain, if possible, from the escutch-
,eon of Lexington, formed a society consisting of twenty-
five gentlemen, each of whom subscribed and paid five
hundred dollars to found and build up a cemetery and
park, having within itself the means through an ever
living body of curators to preserve and perpetuate it.
These gentlemen obtained an act chartering them as a
body corporate, under name and style of Lexington
Cemetery Company, and empowering them to create
a Chairman and Board of Trustees and such other
officers as might be necessary; and to buy land not
exceeding two hundred acres, to be used as a cemetery,
and to lay out the same in lots and to sell them;
the proceeds of which sales, after the payment of the pur-



12



 



















































MADISON C. JOHNSON.

 





LEXINTON CEMETERY.



chase price of the land, and the refunding to the subscrib-
ers of the money advanced, was ever to be applied to the
ornamentation and the improvement of the lands.
  Having obtained such a charter they soon organized
by electing a President and Board of Directors and
Treasurer, and completed the purchase of forty acres of
beautiful undulating land, adjoining the west of the city
of Lexington, covered by a rich and varied native forest.
They then employed as superintendent that well known
and splendid landscape gardener, Mr. Bell, who laid
out the grounds in broad, serpentine carriage drives
and walks, and into lots or unequal size; the
company fixing the price of the lots so low as to
put them within easy reach of the most limited
means.   There was a large immediate demand for
the lots and by their sale the company soon found
itself in possession of ample funds to pay for improving
and beautifying their already lovely grounds. The
boundaries of the cemetery were from time to time en-
larged, the improvements and the many adornments keep-
ing pace with these advances. This cemetery now contains
within its boundaries one hundred and six acres; and
the funds of the company, over and above what has been
expended for the necessary improvements and keeping in
repairthe grounds!, were by the Treasurer, Mr. E. D. Sayre,
put at interest, and by his skill and faithful management
,exceed eighty thousand dollars, which is securely in-
vested, and the interest of which is applied to the pay-
ment of the salaries of the superintendent and the work-
men employed to do the manual labor, while the residue
is reserved as a fund for keeping up the repairs of the
grounds and extending its boundaries in the future, as
the neccessities of our growing population will certainly
,demand.
  A. T. Skillman was elected the first Chairman, and M.



14

 




LEXINGTON CEMETERY.



T. Scott, Cashier of the Northern Bank, its first Treasurer.
Upon the death of Mr. Sayre, the present banker, Mr. E.
D. Sayre, was elected Treasurer, and has continued
in that position up to this time. Upon the death
of Mr. Skillman, Richard Higgins was elected his
successor, and at his death Madison C. Johnson. was
chosen to succeed him. D. D. Bell was President for a
short time and then Dr. H. M. Skillman, who is now the
President.
  The cemetery is now a thing of beauty, and under the
artistic and beautiful work of its able superintendent,
Mr. Bell, it blooms and blossoms as beautiful as the
garden of Hesperides.  There has been no call for out-
side aid upon the part of the management. The original
founders and their successors have been engaged in this
work for more than forty-five years without demanding
and without receiving one cent for their time and their
labor. These gentlemen, as well as the superintendent,
deserve the profoundest gratitude from the citizens of
Lexington.
  Of these original founders all are dead but one, and
they lie sleeping quietly in the house of their own build-
ing, guarded, as are the graves of their associate dead,
by watchful sentinels against the trespasses of man and
beast.  They are not only entitled to our gratitude, but
they deserve a monument; yet they need no monument
of marble or brass, for, if they were here, they could
truthfully say with the old Roman poet, "we have
erected a monument to ourselves more enduring than
brass which time cannot destroy."
  The first object which meets one upon entry to the
cemetery grounds is a handsome temple built of Ken-
tucky stone, part of which is used as an office for the
superintendent and the balance as a chapel for the
performance of the ceremonies usual before the burial of



16

 





6LEXINGTON CEMETERY.



a body   If immediate interment of the lead is not
desired, one descends by a broad serpentine carriage
drive to the bottom of a sloping vale, "a dimple in the
cheek of nature," where one finds a spacious, well lighted
and secure vault, in whicb the body is kept until the
immediate family and particular friends, freed from the
presence of unsympathizing persons, deposit it in its
grave, sanctifying the spot by tears of love, there to
remain secure from spoliation until the resurrection.
  This cemetery is suggestive of thoughts worthy of
preservation.  One cannot ramble through its grounds,
seeing here the grave of an infant, there that of a boy
then the grave of a young girl, who has died in the May
day of life, and again that of the mature man, who, in
his fullness and vigor, had been snatched away while
laboring for wife and children ; then the grave of the
octogenarian, who having long fought the battle of life,
falls at last a victim at the feet of his mortal enemy-the
King of Terrors-without feeling that" in the midst of
life we are in death, " and that all, from the youngest to
the oldest, stand on the crumbling brink of the dark
stream whose nether shore has no light to dispel its
gloom but the star of Bethlehem, which alone sheds any
light on the ultimate destiny of the generations after
generations which have floated down the stream of lite
into the dark gulf where mortality is swallowed in death.
But we have learned that life has conquered death, and
although we die, we shall live again.  It is a pleasant
thought to those whose friends and dear ones lie buried
in that beautiful City of the Dead, to know that when
their spiritualized bodies arise from the tomb, leaving
behind them the cerements of the grave, they shall arise
to renewed and immortal life amid scenes of such earthly
beauty-foreground of the Elysian fields.
  The lessons taught by this cemetery are instructive.



16



 





















































c. S. HELL, Sr.

 





LEXINGTON CEMETERY.



Here you may see a group of persons assembled at the
foot of the tomb of a distinguished statesman or hero,
thinking less of the virtues of the hero than of the beauty
of the monument; a little further on you may see a
mother bending over the grave of her infant in silent
prayer and deep meditation, remembering with gladness,
even in her sorrow, a smile, the impression of an angel's
kiss upon those frozen lips. We do not read in Holy
Writ of any promise to tho distinguished statesman or
hero as such, and we know that the marble column will
crumnl)e and mingle its dust with that of the hero or
statesman who lies buried at its base. Turning to the
grave of the infant we remember "of such is the Kingdom
of Heaven," and read in the smile upon its frozen lips
the sell of its new born birthright to a home in Heaven.
Viewing these in contrast we can but reflect of how little
value are even the successes of earthly ambition and how
false is the light on glory's plumb.
  As a park the cemetery is beautiful and of great value.
On a warm summer evening you may find its carriage
drives and winding pathways crowded with visitors;
many of whom come to hold sweet communion with their
dead ; others to bask in the declining rays of the sun,
softened as they creep through the green foliage over head,
and to enjoy the soft western breezes as they come to
theem, bearing the rich odors of shrub, grass and flower.
No ribald jest or course conduct is heard or seen to offend
the ears or eyes of the worshipers at the tomb. Others
are rambling through the grounds, renewing their mem-
ory of the dead by reading the names and epitaphs in-
scribed upon their tombs-sweet remembrance to those
who knew them in life and a revelation to the young.
  It is thus a record (though a partial one) of the past
and a diary of the present, as scarcely a day passes that



18

 




LEXINGTON CEMETERY.



the arrival of some new resident of the City of the Dead
is not recorded.
   By the Constitutioi of 1892, as we are aware, all cor-
 porations are required to make annual reports of their
 condition to their stockholders. The body corporate of
 the Lexington Cemetery Company is not a monied cor-
 poration. It does not as a coIpoiration declare dividends;
 nor are the trustees, nor those interested in its manage-
 ment, nor officers of any kind, nor anyone entitled to a
 dollar of profits accruing from the sale of lots, nor to any
 profits accruing in any other manner. Therefore, the
 failure by the trustees to make the annual reports of the
 condition of the corporation cannot by any means be
 called a laxity of duty, nor a failure to do what, by law,
 is required of the monied corporations. Their failure to
 do so was perhaps a, mere oversight; or perhaps from a
 misconception of their duty. It surely did not result
 from any deiire to conceal the condition of the institution
 under their management, for the report now made in-
 stead of disclosing anything, which it might be desired
 to conceal, exhibits a most flourishing condition of the
 cemetery and park, and shows a prosperity that reflects
 the greatest credit upon its able management.
 The property and its funds are held as a sacred trust
 for the dead, and the profits, as well as all donations, are
 required by the charter to be-; ever applied to the orna-
 mentation of the grounds. The reserve fund is necessary
 for the preservation of the cemetery. It is, indeed, its
 life blood and is as necessary for its perpetuation as the
 blood of our body is for the preservation of its health. If
 it be weakened or so impaired as to destroy its vitalizing
 power the cemetery wvill begin to decay and soon perish;
 but if it is exempted from the exactions of an ever in-
creasing taxation it will live as long as Lexington stands,
a monument to the philanthropy and wisdom of its found-



19

 






LEXINGTON CEMETERY.



ers, the pride of Lexington and an assurance to coming
generations of the Civilization and refinement of the peo-
ple who founded and had so long preserved it in its
primal beauty from the wreck of time.
   When Judge Buckner had concluded his remarks,
 Judge J. D. Hunt, attorney for the company, made the
 following report of the assets of the corporation:

   Report of the Trustees of the L.exington Cemetery Company.
   The Board of Trustees of the Lexington Cemetery
Company makes this report to the lot owners of the
assets and liabilities of said company.
   The real estate of said company consists of about 110
acres of land, including the lots sold to lot owners.
   Its personal assets are as followss:
Cash  on  band.       ................................   4796  32
Mortgage Notes                                  4...................36.284 80
U. S and other Bonds, -face value.             33,600 00
BankStocks...........    .... !      . ......   8,100 00
   Total personal assets ..8............... 282,681 12
   There are no liabilities except the current expenses for
superinteiidence, labor, etc., vwhich are paid monthly.
None of the property of the company has ever been
listed for taxation, for the reason that the board did not,
and do not, believe it tQ be subject to taxation.  It is
also believed that the assets above mentioned are per-
fectly good, and, if necessary, could be reduced to cash
within a few days for their full value.
  The charter of the cemetery company imposes on the
trustees the duty to husband the resources of the com-
pany, and to provide a fund devoted to the ornamenta-
tion and care of the cemetery grounds and burial lots.
  The necessity of this is plain enough, unless we are
willing that our cemetery shall fall into the same state



20



 





















































E. D. ,A YRE .

 





LEXINGTON CEMETERY.



of desolation that has come to most, if not all, of the old
burying grounds about Lexington. Even now nearly
all the lots in the old parts of the ground are sold, but
the necessity and expense of caring for themn is vastly
increased. This care is equally bestowed on the graves
of all, without any distinction whatever. For the five
years last past the sale of lots and the grave fees for the
whole cemetery would not have paid the necessary ex-
penses, unless supplemented by the income derived from
investments. The time must inevitably come when all
the ordinary sources of income to the company must be
cut off, and unless a fund is now accumulated, the burial
place of our dead must fall into neglect. We also take
occasion to say here that the prices charged by this com-
pany for burial lots is considerably less than is generally
charged by si.milar irnstitutions.
  A few years since it became apparent that an enlarge-
ment of the cemetery was imperatively necessary. Not
being able to purchase the exat quantity of land required
the trustees bought from Mr. Lee his farm adjoining,
containing about one hundred and six (106) acres for the
price of 40,000. One-half of this purchase is retained
as a necessary addition to the cemetery grounds. The
other half, not being now needed and not suitable, was
sold by the trustees for the samne price they had paid
for the entire tract. They have also within the last few
years sold about four other acres of land not needed by
the company at the price of 6,600. Trley have like-
wise in the last three years made permanent improve-
ments, including a beautiful chapel and office mnd other
buildings at an expense of more than thirty thousand
dollars (130,000).
  In these and other transactions the interests of the
cemetery company have been guarded by the officers of
the company to the best of their judgment, without com-



22

 




LEXINGTON CEMETERY.



mission or expenses to any agent. None of the officers
have ever received any compensation for any service ren-
dered, nor has any one of them borkowed or had the use
of any of the funds of the company. They have had
the grounds well cared for, and as they deemed it to be
their duty, after reserving sufficient cash on hand to meet
current expenses, they have kept the remaining money
of the company well and safely invested. By order of
the Board.
       Respectfully submitted.

  Governor M. C. Alford offered the following resolu-
tions which were read by the secretary:
  WHEREAS, We, the lot owners and only stockholders
of the Lexington Cemetery Company in called meeting
assembled, have seen with indignation attacks made upon
the management of the cemetery through the press, of a
false and slanderous nature ; and
  WHEREAS, The said management has done everything
possible to preserve, extend and beautify the grounds of
the cemetery, and have made it one of the most attract-
ive cemeteries in America, affording perfect security to
the ashes of our loved ones deposited in its keeping and
lovely surroundings for those who visit this sacred spot;
and
  WHEREAS, Not a cent has ever beeen paid to the pres-
ent directors or their predecessors for the care and man-
agement, so intelligently and efficiently employed in
behalf of the interest of the company; therefore be it
  Resolhed, That the chairman, management and treas.
urer of the said cemetery company deserve, and are hereby
tendered the thanks of the lot owners for their perfect
faithfulness and efficiency in the management of the
pecuniary and other interests of this company.



23

 




4LEXIN(GTON CEMETERY.



   Resolved, That we have every confidence in the integ-
 rity, efficiency and perfect faithfulness of the present
 management, and recommend them    for re-election to
 their present position whenever it shall be necessary to
 select a new Board.
   Resolved, That we tender our thanks to Mr. Charles S.
 Bell, who has been superintendent of the cemetery from
 its inception and for more than forty-five years to the pres-
 ent time, and whose fidelity taste and skill as a landscape
 gardener, h tve transformed a plain woodland pasture
 into one of the most beautiful spots on earth, where the
 ashes of our dead repose in security amid the loveliest
 surroundings.
 Resolved, That we have heard read the official state-
 ment of the financial condition of the company with
 great satisfaction and pleasure.
 Resolved, That this preamble and resolutions be pub-
 lished in the newspapers, and the Secretary of the Board
 of Managers be requested to spread them upon the official
 books of the cemetery company.
 Resolved, That the Board of Managers cause to be
 printed, in neat pamphlet form, the proceedings of this
 meeting sufficient to supply each lot owner with a
 copy.

             Lieut.-Gov. M. C. Alford's Speech.

Mr. Chairntan :
  I rise, sir, for the purpose of moving the adoption of
the resolutions.
  This voluntary meeting of those who are the lot owners
in Lexington's beautiful City of the Dead, each one of
whom has, perhaps, already committed all that remained
of some loved one to the silent gravo within its portals, is
a spontaneous tribute to the wisdom and fidelity of those



24



 



















































THE CLAY NIONUMENT.

 




LEXINGTON CEMETERY.



who have had the management of its financial affairs,
and the care and control of its physical condition. The
report of the treasurer, just read, shows the gratifying
state of the one, while a visit within its gates eloquently
attests the satisfactory condition of the other.
  The adverse public criticism of a quasi-public service
gratuitously rendered, if untfounded in fact, cannot be
too strongly condemned, and the zeal of disapprobation
cannot be more forcefully put upon it than by the con-
certed action of the quasi-constituency, expressive of
renewed confidence and trust.
  Every citizen is alike amenable to the law, and he who
is slowest to violate is last to claim immunity from it.
No member of the Board of Trustees of the Lexington
Cemetery Company claims to stand higher than the law;
but, Mr. Chairman, in every community there are some
men whose character and standing become a part of the
public honor, whose unimpeachable integrity becomes a
matter of public pride. Such men, perhaps, may acci-
dently fall into technical error, but they always stand
acquit at the bar of public opinion, the highest tribunal
that sits in judgment.  As the facts connected with
the management of the Lexington Cemetery really exist,
the roster of its Board of Managers is a roll of honor.
Their honest, earnest and unselfish efforts have brought
about splendid results, and we, Mr. Chairman, each of
whom owns and cherishes a small spot of ground within
that sacred enclosure, have met together to unite in an
expression of the sincerest appreciation of the unbought
services rendered by those who have been in control, and
to avow our unaltered confidence in that management.
  I desire to move the adoption of the resolutions, Mr.
Chairman.
  On seconding the adoption of the resolutions Mr. H.
H. Gratz spoke as follows:



26

 




LEXINGTON CEMETERY.



Mr. Chairman:
  In seconding the adoption of these resolutions I hope
I may be excused if I make a few remarks pertinent to
the subject. I am old enough sir, to remember the time
when the cemetery company was organized and the
reason that impelled those wise and good men to form
the association of which we are the heirs and beneficia-
ries. Every family in the county had its grave yard, and
over this towI1 were scattered burying grounds of small
extent, upon which little or no care was bestowed. The
old city burying ground on the hill and the Baptist bury-
ing ground on Short street, where a stately church now
stands, had been abandoned as places of interment, and
both were overgrown with unsightly weeds, and were the
resort of all abominations. Sanitary science had recently
pronounced its anathema upon burying grounds in cities
as inimical to the health of the living, and as Lexington
had recently passed through a season of plague from chol-
era a score or more of prudent and public spirited citi-
zens determined to establish a cemetery far enough re-
moved from the city so as not to endanger the lives of
the living, and where the remains of their loved ones
could repose in peace and be undisturbed for all time to
come. I will repeat the names of those men, to whom we
are indebted for an inheritance more precious than fine
gold and more valuable than lands and hereditaments.
    M. T. Scott,           M. C. Johnson,
    Benj. Gratz,           R. Higgins,
    S. Swift,              R. Wickliffe,
    John Tilford,          D. A. Sayre,
    A. T. Skillmnan,     E. K. Sayre,
    G. W. Sutton,          H. T. Duncan,
    Joel Higgins,          J. Hemingway,
    J. B. Tilford,         John Lutz,



27

 




LEXING(,TOIN CEMETERY.



     D. M. Craig,           A. F. Hawkins,
     Benj. Warfield,        R. J. Breckinridge,
     E. Warfield,           E. McAlister,
     T. E. Boswell,         J. M. Bush,
                     John Brand.

  You, Mr. Chairman, and many others present, doubt-
less recognize in these names the very flower of the solid
citizenship of Lexington and vicinity, and if they could
have lived, as we have lived, to see the work of their
hands, they would have been abundantly satisfied, as we
are and should be.
  They not only established a cemetery, but they inaug-
urated a policy for its care and preservation, which their
successors have faithfully followed, that has i