The Liberty Cemetery is the second oldest in Gage County. Blue Springs has the oldest in the county.
It was founded in 1867. The cemetery is not connected to any church or town. Liberty was founded in 1855. David Palmer, one of the earliest settlers, ran a trading post in the area.
The town grew from the influx of railroad laborers who built the tracks that went through the village. In its heyday in 1890, Liberty had a population of 469, enough to support three grocery stores, a meat market, a livery, a dry goods store, a hotel, a law office, a hardware store, an undertaker, a lumber yard and barbershops, and its own newspaper, The Liberty Journal.
There are 1,676 graves in 6.8 acres. Some of the oldest graves date back to the Civil War era.
Board President Todd Bowhay said some of the stones are unreadable.
“We’d like to repair some of the stones, but since we’re not affiliated with any church or town, we rely on donations,” he said. “Some of the stones are unreadable. About 100 of the stones need to be repaired. They need to be straightened or reattached to the base.”
Bowhay said the oldest stones are in the east part of the cemetery.
“Some of the stones are as big as two refrigerators placed side-by-side,” he said.
Several of Bowhay’s family members are buried in the cemetery as far back as his grandparents.
The six-person board meets once a year. The board hires Tanner Bowhay and Ryan Vogel to mow and trim throughout the summer.
“It’s about a three-day job with an average of about $6,000 a year of expense. When you mow and trim around that many graves, you know you did something. There are a lot of small spaces between stones and it’s a tough job to mow and trim,” he said.
Last spring the cemetery was granted a mower from Exmark Manufacturing.
“That helped a lot,” he said.
The biggest challenge for the board currently is fundraising for repairs. Through the years, the certificate proving the nonprofit status of the cemetery has been lost in the transition of board members.
“Another reason we’re not getting many donations is because in 1890 Liberty had a population of 469. In 2020 it was 37. When you lose your railroad and school, the town kind of closes down,” he said.
The board continues to seek volunteers to serve as members of the board. For more information, contact Todd Bowhay at 402-239-7160.
