The Mahaska County Commission for the Preservation of Pioneer Cemeteries was established by the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors, Oskaloosa, Iowa, in             December, 1997. Its mission is to locate, protect, restore and preserve Mahaska County’s historic pioneer cemeteries.

A Pioneer Cemetery is defined by Iowa Code as a cemetery having six or fewer burials in the preceding fifty years. Forty pioneer cemeteries have been designated in Mahaska County. 

After research and designation, the Cemeteries are placed on a priority basis list. Those on the top priority list are then marked off and fenced, if necessary. Adjacent landowners are notified. The Commission then assists volunteers with repair and   restoration of gravestones as well as the clearing and fencing of the Cemetery itself. The Commission is also working with the Mahaska County Conservation Board and the Iowa Prairie Network to reintroduce prairie flowers and grasses into the          Cemeteries.

This site was developed to assist researchers seeking the graves of their Mahaska Co. ancestors, and to increase awareness of the need for preserving these rapidly         disappearing historic resources.

MAHASKA COUNTY PIONEER PROFILES page includes biographical sketches of  these pioneers and their experiences. The MAHASKA COUNTY PIONEER CEMETERIES MAP  shows the locations of all currently known pioneer cemeteries. For information regarding individual cemeteries, including burial lists where available, see the complete listing of pioneer cemeteries at: MAHASKA COUNTY PIONEER  CEMETERIES . Related websites can be found on the  MAHASKA COUNTY RESOURCES page.

Restoration and research projects are ongoing. To see photos and descriptions, go to RESTORATION PROJECTS GALLERY. For more information or to find out how you can be involved in preserving this historic legacy,

 

Contact:

Mahaska  County Commission for the Preservation of Pioneer

Cemeteries 

Jo A. Vernooy, Chairperson

1240-235th St.                                                                                                   

Leighton, IA  50143                                                                                                  

Ph. 641-673-8122

 

                                        

                                                                                                                             

    

                                                 

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