Join us at Eastern Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday May 21st!
Eastern Cemetery, located in the heart of the Highlands neighborhood, is a rich source of Louisville history. The first documented use as a cemetery dates to the 1840s, making Eastern one of Louisville’s oldest cemeteries. At that time, the area was on the outskirts of the city away from the general population.
Originally owned by Fourth Street Methodist Church (now known as Trinity Temple United Methodist Church), Eastern Cemetery was one of the first cemeteries to bury people of different races, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds. The grounds are the final resting place for individuals from all walks of life, including former slaves, Odd Fellows, Free Masons, congressmen, mayors, ministers, boxers, immigrants, musicians, and veterans (from Mexican War to Vietnam War). One of the most distinct and memorable features of Eastern Cemetery is the Richardsonian Romanesque wake house designed by renowned architects Charles Clarke and Arthur Loomis in 1891. The cemetery was the site of the first crematorium in Kentucky. The facility, which still stands today and functions as apartments, opened in 1935. The modern columbarium, office, and crematorium building was constructed in 1957.
*image via Find a Grave*
*info from Eastern Cemetery website*