Mausoleums
For a tour of the nine Mount Hope mausoleum, download the PDF pamphlet below or use the Mausoleum Digital Tour on this page.
One of the most interesting architectural motifs on the cemetery grounds is the very distinguished mausoleums that dot the landscape of Mount Hope. The term mausoleum derives from the name Mausolus, ruler of the kingdom of Caria in Asia Minor. Upon his death in 353 B.C., his wife Artemisa built an elaborate tomb at the great harbor city, Halicarnassus. Sometime between 1000 A.D. and 1400 A.D. archaeologists surmise that an earthquake destroyed the tomb. The mausoleum was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Mount Hope features nine distinctively styled mausoleums. Eight of the nine prominent family aboveground monuments in Mount Hope were constructed from 1905 to 1918. These dates coincide with the golden age of private family mausoleums in the United States, which ended with the start of the Great Depression.
A majority of the mausoleums show similar features. All have bronze doors and rear stained glass windows. Those buried in the crypts were placed and stacked in their coffins in the side walls. The Woodland Monument Company of Kansas City was the contractor for most of the mausoleums. The materials and architectural ornaments originated from the quarries of Barre Granite Company in Vermont. Many of the finest monuments and tombstones in the Unites States are made from Barre Granite.
Constructed on site, each mausoleum required a huge timbered pulley system created to counter lever the huge blocks of granite and limestone into place. The process was quite an engineering feat to move materials with such extraordinary weight. The average time to construct a mausoleum, depending upon the seasons, was three to six months.
Mausoleum architects and builders based most of their designs on architectural styles popular at the time of construction. Revival styles of architecture dominated the 19th century building landscape in America. At Mount Hope a multitude of architectural styles were selected representing Greek Revival, Egyptian Revival, Romanesque Revival, Art Deco and Classical. Some of these unique resting burial chambers combined a fusion of these styles. In some instances the chosen style is the only surviving example of a particular architectural structural style that can be found in the four-state area.
The diverse architectural styles of Mount Hope’s mausoleums provide an invaluable lesson in American architecture. These smaller versions of adopted popular designs offer an excellent, permanent record of types of magnificent structures built throughout the United States.
Mausoleum Digital Tour
Below is a digital tour of Mount Hope’s nine distinctly styled mausoleums. Referencing the map below, click the links to quickly navigate to desired mausoleums, or follow the order for the complete tour.

Rogers Mausoleum
Alfred Harrison Rogers was born on February 2, 1858, in LeClaire Pennsylvania. In 1878, at the age of 20, he graduated from Harvard with honors in philosophy. He then studied law with Colonel E. L. Barlett in Wyandotte, Kansas. Admitted to the bar in Olathe, Kansas in 1889, he never practiced law as a profession. In 1889, he built a streetcar railway system between Webb City and Carterville. The rail line was two and a half miles in length. The rail cars were pulled by mules from September 1, 1890 to March 1, 1893. After 1893, the system was electrified and renamed for a period of time as the Southwest Missouri Electric Railway Company. Eventually renamed the Southwesounties of Jasper, Cherokee and Ottawa. Rogers was president of SMRC and the Joplin Globe Publishing Co., vice president of Inter-State Grocer Company, and director of Joplin National Bank. In 1910 he purchased The Joplin Globe. Rogers was a faithful member of the Joplin Elks Club. His funeral services were held in the club rooms of the Southwest Missouri Electric Railway Club in Webb City, which presently is the home of the Webb City Historical Society. He married Katherine Coburn in May of 1881. They had two children, H. C. Rogers and Mrs. E. C. Estes.
ARCHITECTURAL FOOTNOTE: Built in 1905, the Rogers mausoleum was the first one to be erected at Mount Hope. Designed by notable Joplin architects, Garstang and Rea, the tomb is of the Greek Revival style. This style incorporates the classic elements of Greek architecture. Identifying features are the full-facade porch, the pediment supported by Tuscan columns, and the entablature beneath the roof. The classic tomb hearkens back to the days of antiquity and the Greek Parthenon. Amazingly in over one hundred years this structure has settled only an eighth of an inch.
A. H.Rogers 3/12/1920
* Other family members and the dates they were interred include:
Perry C. Rogers 11/28/1905, Robert H. Rogers 11/28/1905, Katherine C. Rogers 2/13/1940, Harrison C. Rogers 6/21/1946,
Helen Lang Rogers 6/24/1965, LeClaire (Rogers) Estes 4/20/1966, A.H. Rogers 10/2/1993, Katherine Estes Rogers 5/3/1997,
Bertha Rogers 5/13/2000, and Harrison Lang Rogers 4/9/2002.
Amsel Taylor Blackwell Mausoleum
Born in Ozark, Arkansas on March 13, 1863, Amsel Blackwell came to Joplin at the age of eight, with his mother in 1873. His father died from a wound injury he received during the Civil War. Blackwell attended Joplin schools but quit at an early age to take care of his mother. He worked several jobs ranging from a scrapper, scrapping ore from the waste piles, to shining shoes, to delivering the Joplin Daily Democrat. On August 24, 1908 Blackwell purchased a controlling interest in Redell Manufacturing and Supply Company He became president of Redell Motor Company, general manager of the Carthage Ice & Cold Storage Company, and president of the Western Ice & Manufacturer’s Association. He married Mary Higgins on December 17, 1890. His other interests included the Elk’s Lodge, Free Masons, and the Ideal Theatre Company He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He sold the McKinley Building, located at Filth and Joplin Street, to L. P. Buchanan for $100,000. This sale was extremely significant since it constituted the highest price ever paid for property in Joplin at that time.
ARCHITECTURAL FOOTNOTE:
Blackwell’s mausoleum is of the Neoclassical style, for Roman and Greek elements abound in the design. The laurel wreath above the door is an appropriate symbol for a crypt, for it signifies victory over death. The Chi-Rho centered inside the wreath, represents the first two letters of Christ’s name in Greek. Flanking each side of the doorway are two Greek tripods with the eternal flames. The Tuscan pilasters, or engaged columns, and the Greek Fret band under the entablature are based on Greek and Roman elements and are typical of the classical style.
Amsel Taylor Blackwell 11/27/1918
* Other family members and the dates they were interred include:
Floyd Blackwell 3/22/1929, Louisa E. Blackwell 1/04/1930, Mary R. Blackwell 01/20/1930, and Catherine B.Allen 9/4/1958.
Prehm Mausoleum
Charles F. Prehm was born on December 16, 1852, in Berlin, Germany. He immigrated to the United States in 1877 and settled in Galena, Kansas in 1878. He started a tailoring business which quickly expanded into a dry goods business. In 1914 he formed a partnership with Ted C. Senter of Joplin. They ran the Golden Rule store in Galena, Kansas. He died at the age of 63 in Galena. Because Prehm’s mausoleum was not yet constructed, he was first interred in Schermerhorn’s mausoleum. He was later moved to his personal mausoleum.
Executors of Prehm’s will signed a contract with the Woodland Monument Company in Kansas City, Missouri to construct the mausoleum. On January 26, 1917, they purchased lot #40 for $468.75. From July 31, 1917 to November 4, 1917, Woodland Monument Company constructed the Prehm mausoleum at a cost of $7,000. The two vases, which flank the front entrance, were added a year later at a cost of $200.
ARCHITECTURAL FOOTNOTE: Prehm’s mausoleum is of the Romanesque style. Defining features of this style are the rough-faced ashlar stonework and two square Norman columns. Note the square column juxtaposed to the round column.
Charles Prehm 11/9/1916
* Other family members interred include:
Lena M.Jones 11/12/1918, Ernest Otto Prehm 7/5/1940, and Minnie Douglas Prehm 11/21/1970.
Schermerhorn Mausoleum
Edgar Backus Schermerhorn was born in Will County, Illinois on November 19, 1851. In the fall of 1875, he came to Baxter Springs, Kansas and accepted a clerical position with John M. Cooper, a successful merchant who opened a mercantile business in Galena, Kansas. Schermerhorn came to Galena to help with the business and became one of the mining town’s first residents. Eventually he bought into the business, then sold it and became involved in the growing mining operations of Cherokee County. He helped create Citizen’s Bank of Galena and served as president of the financial institution in 1893.
At one time, Schermerhorn owned over 6,000 acres of mining and farm land in southeast Kansas. As a Republican he was elected in 1901 to the 26th District of the Kansas state legislature. He ran again and won the election of 1903. In 1905, he was appointed by Kansas Governor Edward Hoch as a member of the State Board of Control, and for a time served as president of the board. He attended the International Mining Congress sessions in Boise, Idaho, 1901 and in Deadwood, South Dakota, 1903. Schermerhorn belonged to the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Ancient Order of the United Workmen. He was a Knight Templar and Thirty-second degree Mason and a Mystic Shriner of the Temple at Pittsburg, Kansas. In 1922 he donated 22 acres of land to the City of Galena for a city park. Marvin and Jackie Miner were successful in getting the Schermerhorn family home placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The Schermerhorn home is the only residence in Cherokee County, Kansas to be listed on the National Register.
Edgar’s wife, Abbie Schermerhorn, is also interred in the Schermerhorn mausoleum. Abbie was born in Loraine, Ohio on September 9, 1851. She married Edgar in 1878. Abbie was a member of the Rebekahs, Degree of Honor, the Pythian Sisters and a member of the Eastern Star in which she held the honor of Grand Representator of the State of Georgia, in the Grand Chapter at Topeka, Kansas. She was buried in a solid bronze casket and was initially placed in the Rogers mausoleum. In 1916 her body was moved to the newly completed Schermerhorn mausoleum.
ARCHITECTURAL FOOTNOTE: Similar in design to the Prehm and the Kennedy mausoleums, Schermerhorn’s Romanesque style tomb is the simplest design of the three.
Edgar B.Schermerhorn 2/7/1923
* Other family members and the dates they were interred include:
Opha Brannon 3/31/1919, Abbie Schermerhorn 1/22/1923, James K. Lennon 8/16/1928, Harriett Lennon 10/1/1928 and Minnie Lennon 2/4/1939.
Orr Mausoleum
Charles T. Orr came to Webb City in 1898 and established a long career in zinc mining. Orr became one of the largest mining operators in the district. He was the first operator in the area to enlarge the milling process to over 1,000 tons per day. During World War I, he ran the Athletic, Bertha A and Wingfield mines. Orr spent considerable time in Washington, D.C., after he was appointed by Bernard Baruch to serve on the metals committee of the War Industries Board for the United States during World War I. He helped organize the American Zinc Institute in 1918, served as its first president, and became one of the first district members of the American Mining Congress. Orr was an active member of the YMCA, Joplin Rotary Club, and became the first president of Freeman General Hospital.
While we travel from the Orr Mausoleum to the Kennedy Mausoleum, note that we are traversing the oldest part of the cemetery Mt. Hope is the burial grounds of some of the most successful businessmen of their day. The impressive headstones that dot the landscape are their lasting legacy. The majority of them were involved in zinc mining or provided a service that helped sustain the mining economy. Neither the Joplin, Webb City nor Galena communities would have existed without zinc mining. This area became known as the Tri-State Mining District, and for 75 years was the major supplier of raw zinc ore in the world. In 1943 the Tri-State Mining District became only the I0th mining district in the world to produce over one billion dollars from the mining of minerals. The Tri-State District was composed of four counties: Jasper and Newton Counties in Missouri; Cherokee County, Kansas, and Ottawa County, Oklahoma.
ARCHITECTURAL FOOTNOTE: The Orr mausoleum is classified as Greco Deco. The smooth wall surface, horizontal planes, and streamlined design are of the modern influence. The geometric floral bas-relief is used extensively in Art Deco and represents a lily, the sign of purity. The Greek elements incorporated into this modern style add an interesting dimension. The seating area, called an exedra, was a design the ancient Greeks used to define the burial space and as seating for contemplating visitors. The classic Greek columns have a modern air about them, for the capitals have been replaced with channeled bands. At the end of the benches are two Greek vessels. These vessels house the eternal flame of resurrection.
Charles T. Orr 9/18/1953
* Other family members and the dates they were interred include: Grace F. Orr 11/26/1947.
Kennedy Mausoleum
Thomas Kennedy, a long time resident of Galena, Kansas and the owner of Galena Perforating Company, was born in Ontario, Canada. Kennedy patented a mine screen made of perforated metal that was used in the separating of mined ore in the Tri-State District. In 1892 Kennedy opened his first factory in Galena, Kansas. Galena Perforating Company was located at I03 North Main Street. At one time he owned 1,100 acres in Cherokee, Kansas. Kennedy’s untimely demise came when he was run over by his own car at his home on August 10, 1918, with his wife driving. Kennedy was taken to St. John’s Hospital for treatment, but never fully recovered from the injuries he received from the unfortunate accident. He and his wife Nellie had six children.
ARCHITECTURAL FOOTNOTE: Kennedy’s tomb includes an arched doorway frequently found in the Romanesque style.
Thomas Kennedy 8/13/1918
* Other family members and the dates they were interred include: Nell Kennedy 12/18/1935, Nellie Kennedy 6/26/1961, and Kathline Phillips 6/21/1983.
As we travel to the Noble Mausoleum, please note the construction materials used in the headstones and mausoleums. Granite, limestone and marble are often used for the tombstones and the various structural parts of mausoleums. These materials have been used for building purposes since ancient times.
Granite, a granular (course-grained) igneous rock which has a glassy luster, is too hard to be scratched appreciably by steel. It may be white to gray, tan, brown, or pink to red in color. The pinkish to red granite tones are found in Missouri. Granite contains quartz, feldspar, mica and sometimes a black mineral, called hornblende. It is very hard, takes a high polish, and weathers well outdoors. Granite was once melted rock-like lava that, when cooled, hardened deep underground. Granite is a valuable support and building material, because it can withstand a pressure of 15,000 to 20,000 pounds per square inch.
Limestone, a bedded or layered sedimentary rock found abundantly in Missouri in bluffs, creek beds, hill sides, is known to underlie the soil in most of the south half of the state. Most limestone contains the mineral calcite, but the magnesium variety of limestone contains the mineral dolomite. It is a good stone for foundations and walls where a high polish is not needed. Limestone makes an excellent building stone because it can be carved easily.
Marble is another building material used extensively. A major source of marble was found locally in Jasper County. The Carthage area quarried huge amounts of marble from the giant beds of limestone. Because limestone and marble are softer than granite, they may be cut and polished at a lower cost. Marble is limestone changed by slight heat, pressure and water. Because of this the grains of the mineral calcite are larger than they are in limestone. The snow white marble, formed from pure limestone, is the kind used by sculptors to make statues.
E. St. George Noble Mausoleum
Edwin St. George Noble was born in Ireland in 1842. He received his early education in Kingston, near Dublin, and at Brussels, Belgium, after which he completed a scientific course at the Royal College of Science in Dublin pursuing special courses in mineralogy and chemistry. In 1860 he immigrated to America and joined his brother John in establishing the first lead smelter in the district in Noblesville near Granby. Two years later the area was ravaged by the Civil War. His smelter and property were destroyed. John fled to Canada. Edwin went to Neosho. While in Neosho he became involved in the clothing business and remained there until 1880.
After moving to Galena, he was engaged in the local mining activities, and served as a superintendent of various mining companies. He was in charge of the Cornwell Mining Company, the Stanley Mine, the Galena Lead & Zinc Mining Company, The Cyclone Mines, the Wyandotte Lead & Zinc Company and the Owl Mining Company. He was elected as secretary of the Joplin District Mining Association because of his twenty years of experience in mining. This position was required by the Secretary of State to compile information on area mining and smelting processes. In 1900, he became the president of Galena Light and Power Company He was also a member of the Galena Commercial Club. In 1904, he married Janet Walkenshaw of Galena. He retired in 1911 and moved to Joplin, residing at 315 West Ninth. After battling an eight week illness, Noble died of valvular heart failure at the age of 75.
Edwin St. George Noble 3/29/1917
* Other family members and the dates they were interred include: Janet Noble 11/20/1922, Alexander Walkenshaw 6/5/1922, Elizabeth Smith 9/20/1939, Sarah Walkenshaw 9/27/1939, Marion Walkenshaw 2/2/1948, Mary E. Walkenshaw 4/4/1949, Dwight Smith 1/16/1968,Waits Smith 8/17/1971, and Dorothy Smith 12/19/2001.
Austin Allen Mausoleum
Austin Allen was born in Philadelphia. His father was J. W. Allen an early pioneer and successful mine operator in the area. Austin Allen arrived in Joplin in 1890 at the age of 10. He attended the Joplin public school system and graduated from Joplin High School in 1898.
He received a degree in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania in 1902, and later he went to Paris where he pursued his interest in architecture. Returning to the United States Allen became associated with Bruce Price of New York, one of the foremost architects in the United States. After two years in New York he returned to Joplin and began practicing his craft in 1905. Allen married Belle Taylor. They had three children. Allen was an extremely successful architect with offices in Kansas City and Joplin. His office in Joplin was in the Frisco building (819-821). His professional resume included such structures as the Newman Building, Olivia Apartments, St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Joplin High School, United Hebrew Temple, Elks Lodge and many impressive homes in Joplin. The Newman Building, St. Peter’s Catholic Church and Elks Lodge are all listed on the National Register for Historic Places. Allen was a member of the American Institute of Architects. He died at the early age of 36 from typhoid fever.
Inside Allen’s mausoleum is a resolution from the Kansas City Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Austin S.Allen 3/3/1917
* Other family members and the dates they were interred include: Walter Scott Estes 2/12/1926, Linda McOwen Allen 6/6/1926, Whitby J.Allen 5/22/1930, and Austin Allen Jr. 12/2/1940.
Schifferdecker Mausoleum
Charles Schifferdecker died at age 64, just nine days after his wife had passed away. Joplin physician, Dr. C. C. Cummings (father of television and motion picture star Robert Cummings), pronounced his death on October 30, 1915. He was born on August 28, 1851 in Baden Germany. In 1869, at the age of 18 he traveled by ship to America. Edward Zelleken (also buried at Mount Hope) brought Schifferdecker to the area. In Baxter Springs, Kansas he worked for Zelleken in his brewery. Schifferdecker relocated to Joplin and opened up a bottling business in 1875. His company eventually offered wholesale beer and ice. Schifferdecker severed his ties in the brewing business in 1888. For a period of time he owned 4,500 acres in Jasper County. He became one of Joplin’s most wealthy citizens.
To recognize his accomplishments and his positive impact on the community, Joplin city offices were closed to pay respect to him when he passed away. He was very generous to his community by donating the property for the building site of Scottish Rite Cathedral and a portion of land to the City of Joplin, which today is known as Schifferdecker Park. His public funeral service was held at the Scottish Rite. He helped organize the First National Bank of Joplin and became the first president of the bank on January 30, 1888 – -a position he retained for 12 years. He served on the board of directors for Interstate Wholesale Grocery Company. He and his wife were devout German Lutherans and were known to travel by train to New York City to watch their favorite operas from reserved box seats at the Metropolitan Opera. He married Mina (Wilamenna) Martens on September 24, 1877.
ARCHITECTURAL FOOTNOTE: Although the classical styles were widely received in America, the Egyptian Revival style never found a prominent place in the 19th and early 20th century structures. Reminiscent of the Great Temple of Ammon, the tombs of Charles Schifferdecker, Austin Allen, and E. St. George Noble are cloaked in noble grandeur. The most spectacular mausoleum is Charles Schifferdecker’s. In 1908 architects Garstang and Rea designed Schifferdecker’s mausoleum. The two sphinxes that guard the entrance symbolize protective authority. The faces eerily resemble the late Mr. Schifferdecker. The pillars have inverted bell capitals with palm leaves and the doors are decorated with lotus flowers, which represent immortality. Note the solar disk between the pair of falcon wings. It represents the sun god, Re and rebirth. This symbol is also found on the Allen and Noble mausoleums. Many years later in 1920, W. F. Woolworth, the famous “five and dime” store king, used nearly the same identical style. Woolworth’s mausoleum is located in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York. To construct a similar mausoleum today would cost in the range of $500,000.
Charles Schifferdecker 11/02/1915
* Other family members and the dates they were interred include: Theodore Martens 1898, Philipina Schifferdecker 11/24/1908, Wilamenna Schifferdecker 10/25/1915, and Frederick Martens 12/16/1915.