BLOOMFIELD SELECTED FOR VETERANS CEMETERY

BLOOMFIELD -- A state veterans cemetery will be put in Bloomfield adjacent to a new Stars and Stripes Museum and Library that is under construction in this Stoddard County community.

The cemetery is one of two veterans cemeteries being developed in Eastern Missouri. The other will be in Randolph County. Sites for the two cemeteries were announced this month.

The Missouri Veterans' Commission is developing a state veterans cemetery system. Earlier this year the commission solicited proposals from Eastern Missouri communities.

Six proposals were received, including one from Cape Girardeau.

Ron Taylor, director of services and planning for the Missouri Veterans' Commission, said the fact that Bloomfield's proposal included donated land was a key selling point. The Cape Girardeau proposal had land available for purchase.

The Stoddard County Commission donated 50 acres of what was once the county poor farm for the cemetery.

"It is a beautiful, rolling hills area," said state Rep. Marilyn Williams, D-Dudley. "It's really a pretty spot for a cemetery."

"I think it's good not only for Bloomfield but for all of Southeast Missouri to have the cemetery here," she said. "Stoddard County has a rich history from the Civil War, and what tops it off is Bloomfield is the birthplace of Stars and Stripes."

Stars and Stripes is a military magazine that was first published in Bloomfield in 1861. The magazine continues publication today, although not in Bloomfield.

The cemetery will be across the street from the Stars and Stripes Museum and Library.

The museum is collecting an assortment of military artifacts for display. The same individuals developing the museum put together the cemetery proposal.

Jim Mayo, an Army veteran, is president of the Stars and Stripes Museum and Library Association. Mayo said Bloomfield was the best choice for the cemetery all along.

"We're more centrally located in Southeast Missouri," he said. "We're between the Veterans' Home in Cape Girardeau and the Veterans Hospital in Poplar Bluff."

The cemetery and museum should compliment each other, he said. "We are extremely pleased that Bloomfield was selected."

Charles Woodford had worked to get the cemetery in Cape Girardeau County.

"We worked pretty hard in favor of it," Woodford said. "I guess they worked a little harder. We are a little disappointed. We thought the demographics were in our favor. We have a concentration of veterans here, and we are a transportation hub."

Efforts to get 50 acres in Cape Girardeau County donated were unsuccessful.

If all goes well, federal money for the Bloomfield cemetery should be available in October 1999, and construction should be complete in 2001.

The U.S. Department of Veterans National Cemetery grant program would fund half of the construction costs, with Missouri picking up the other half. The design and cost are incomplete.

Taylor said the cemetery is expected to have room for 20,000 to 25,000 graves and should be usable for a minimum of 60 years.