Efforts underway to restore old Benton cemetery

BENTON, Mo. -- Few people remember it, but there is a cemetery off Old Highway 61 outside of Benton. Dating back to the 1800s, it is the final resting place for many well-known people, such as the first settler of Benton and politicians.

With the last burial in 1993, the 2.3 acre cemetery -- although mowed regularly by the City of Benton -- has been neglected over the years. But one Benton man is spearheading a volunteer campaign to restore and preserve the historic cemetery, the Sikeston Standard Democrat reported.

"I think this is very important to our town," said Roy Gunter, who is leading the effort. "We're talking about a lot of history here."

The Old Benton Cemetery -- which was also called the Methodist Cemetery at one time -- has 240 recorded burial sites. It is the final resting place for Col. William Myers, who was the first settler of Benton and donated 40 acres of land for the new county seat and town of Benton; Williams Hunter, a prosecuting attorney for Scott County and state senator; Marshall Arnold, publisher of the Benton Express and another former prosecuting attorney; and several doctors and county and state elected officials.

Gunter also noted that there could be several more people buried in the cemetery but without markers.

Roy and his wife, Deborah Gunter, realized what shape the cemetery was in when it was part of a tour of historic cemeteries led earlier this year by Dr. Frank Nickell, director of the Center for Regional History at Southeast Missouri State University. As Nickell knows Deborah Gunter, he asked her to provide him and attendees with some information on the cemetery during the tour.

"We hadn't been there since 1972," said Gunter. "And when we got up there, it looked like a war zone. The tombstones had been broken through the years -- not by vandals but by time and weather."

Gunter admitted he was embarrassed by the cemetery's condition and felt it reflected poorly on the city. So, he rounded up others to help him restore it.

Other volunteers have included Gary Ziegler, Ted LeGrand, Gerald Slinkard and Jeremy Gunther. Additionally, Scott County Prosecutor Paul Boyd referred some community service workers to help out.

So far, Gunter estimated volunteers have spent about 60 hours righting tombstones that have fallen over and patching broken stones.

"We've pulled off the work because of the hot weather," said Gunter. Once work resumes -- some which will require equipment -- Gunter said he expects the project to be wrapped up in two months. And once the work is complete, it won't take much time or work to maintain it, so long as it doesn't go untouched for a long period of time again, said Gunter.

For the most part, it's just good elbow grease needed to restore and preserve the cemetery. Gunter said he welcomes all workers. However, patching the tombstones does require some expensive materials, plus pre-mixed concrete is being used to level some markers so donations are being accepted and can be left in the genealogy room at the Riverside Regional Library in Benton.

One of the frustrating parts about the job, said Gunter, is that it's hard to measure the progress.

"Everything looks just like it should," said Gunter. "But I'm really happy with the work that we've gotten done."

He noted that the volunteers are not cleaning any of the headstones. "That would require skills that we don't have -- the headstones can be really damaged by cleaning," said Gunter.

Gunter said he knows that there are several other cemeteries in bad shape across Southeast Missouri. "Hopefully people will see what we're doing and start doing this in every town," he said.

Nickell agreed, saying Benton's cemetery isn't as bad as Gunter and other volunteers may think.

"It is in need of restoration and preservation, but it's in better shape than a lot of other cemeteries," he said. "You can walk around it, and it's not overgrown."

However, Nickell said he thinks the cemetery is important, especially since it is located along what was once a major highway. In fact, all older cemeteries are, due to the history they hold.

"Cemeteries are really where the roots of people exist," he said. "They are very vital parts of our history and tell us a lot about who we are and tie us to our past."

In fact, Nickell said he'd like to see cemeteries used as a more integral part of the community -- for Memorial Day services, school lessons and more. People visiting the cemeteries would likely give a push for more maintenance to be done, he noted.

Anyone interested in helping with the restoration effort at the Benton cemetery may call Gunter at 573-545-3507.