The Hill and Hollows of Bellefontaine Cemetery Hold Many Legendary Missourians.
Spanning 314 acres of lush beauty, Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum is famous for being one of only 50 level three accredited arboretums worldwide. From 1849 to today, over 9,000 trees, shrubs, and flowers have been planted in the cemetery to create miles of natural beauty and shaded paths. While walking along the paved trails, visitors can encounter bubbling streams, towering stone mausoleums with intricate stained glass windows, and trees that have been growing on the grounds for centuries.
But what’s below the ground at Bellefontaine may hold even more history than what is above. World-renowned for its beauty and a carefully crafted, peaceful outdoor oasis, Bellefontaine Cemetery became the preferred burial ground for many St. Louisans in the mid-1800s. The cemetery was different from the others of its time, never turning down interments based on gender, religious affiliation, or even race. The popularity of the grounds and the open embrace to all has made it the final resting place of some of the most legendary and well-loved Missourians.
Edward Hempstead 1817
On Rosemary Hill, in the northeastern quadrant of Bellefontaine Cemetery, is a small grouping of headstones. The stones are spotted with dark green moss and are seemingly unimportant compared to the towering mausoleums and obelisks nearby. If passed by, visitors will miss out on seeing the oldest headstone in the cemetery, belonging to Edward Hempstead.
Edward Hempstead was born in New London, Connecticut, in 1780. His father, Stephen Hempstead, relocated his family, including Edward, to St. Louis in 1804. Edward eventually attended law school in Connecticut and practiced law in Rhode Island before moving back to St. Louis and being elected as the first delegate to Congress from Missouri. Wildly successful in advocating for frontier defense and protecting the land claims of early settlers, he quickly made waves in early government. Thomas Hart Benton, a close friend of Edward, claimed that he “would have become Missouri’s first senator, had he lived long enough.” Sadly, Edward Hempstead died August 10, 1817, at only 37 years old, from complications after being thrown off a horse.
William Clark 1838
William Clark is known for being one of the members of the Corps of Discovery—a US Army expedition that is commonly referred to as the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Along with his partner Meriwether Lewis, Clark traversed Illinois, Montana, Oregon, the Rocky Mountains, the Dakotas, and beyond, creating maps and sketches related to his travels.
After returning to St. Louis when his expedition had come to an end, Clark married Julia Hancock in 1808. He was governor of the Missouri Territory and was made the superintendent of Indian Affairs for Missouri in the years following, playing a crucial role in government matters, such as the Platte Purchase.
William Clark died on September 1, 1838, at the age of 68. He was originally buried on his nephew John O’Fallon’s farm but was reinterred at Bellefontaine Cemetery after it opened in 1849 at the request of his two sons. When it was confirmed that the 1904 World’s Fair was going to be in St. Louis, many St. Louisans wanted Clark—one of their most famous city members—to be honored. A 35-foot-tall obelisk made of solid granite was placed at Bellefontaine Cemetery in honor of William Clark and his exploration endeavors, along with a bust, which faces the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. The memorial was unveiled in 1904.
At the monument site, visitors can find the graves of several other Clark family members surrounding Clark’s grave in a half-circle. The towering obelisk sits on a large granite platform that visitors can stand on. Those interested in learning more about Clark’s history can do so by visiting the peaceful grounds of his gravesite and reading the inscriptions that surround the monument, which are etched onto three-foot-tall stone walls.
• Sydney Jones
Henry Taylor Blow 1875
Henry Taylor Blow plays a large part in St. Louis history. His father, Peter Blow, was the original owner of the enslaved man Dred Scott and his family. After Peter moved in 1830, he sold Scott to Dr. John Emerson, a military surgeon stationed in St. Louis. Henry Blow attended college and eventually worked in the paint and oil industry. He stayed in contact with Dred Scott throughout his life. In 1854, Henry joined the Missouri Senate.
Although Henry adamantly sided with Scott, wanting him to be emancipated, the Supreme Court ruled against Scott and deemed that he was still enslaved. They placed the Scotts back in the hands of John Emerson’s widowed wife, but she refused possession. In an effort to appease the masses and to keep Scott’s status as an enslaved person, the court then returned Scott to his original owners, the Blow family.
On May 26, 1857, Henry emancipated Dred and Harriet Scott and their two daughters. Not only did Henry support one of the most famous trials in Missouri but he also effectively altered the Supreme Court Ruling, making a not-so-silent statement about his stance on slavery by emancipating the Scotts.
Today, a simple yet bold headstone rests among the soft grass at Bellefontaine honoring Henry. Three short lines are inscribed in deep-cut granite: “Henry Taylor Blow. Born July 15, 1817. Died Sept. 11, 1875.” A quote, covered in dark green moss, graces the top of his stone and professes his deep faith: “Be still and know that I am God.”
Adolphus Busch 1913
Adolphus Busch was born in 1839 in Germany to a family of 22 siblings. His parents were in the winery and brewery supply industry, introducing him to the world of brewing at an early age. After emigrating to America in 1857, Busch settled in St. Louis. While in St. Louis, he met Lilly Anheuser and married her shortly after in 1861. Her father happened to be Eberhard Anheuser, the owner and operator of the Bavarian Brewery. Joining their skills together, Anheuser and Busch created the iconic Anheuser-Busch brewery. During this time, Busch, along with partner Carl Conrad, also created Budweiser beer.
In the 1880s, Busch began experimenting with refrigerated railcars for transporting Budweiser beer. This kept his beer from spoiling on cross-country trips. Even on a colossal scale, he focused on the consistency, taste, and quality of each barrel of beer, growing Anheuser-Busch into a respected business. By 1901, his company had sold one million barrels of beer in a year. A barrel of beer at the time held 31 gallons, so this equated to 31 million gallons of beer.
Adolphus Busch passed on October 10, 1913, while visiting a villa he and Lilly owned in Lindschied, Germany. Lilly coordinated a careful transfer of her beloved husband’s remains from Germany to St. Louis. Once in Missouri, Lilly had her husband’s body held in a temporary grave at Bellefontaine Cemetery while she began constructing a resting place for him that would represent the significant impact he had on the city. The mausoleum was set on one of the highest hills in the cemetery and still stands as an architectural wonder today.
Designed by architect Thomas P. Barnett and made with solid two-foot-long blocks of granite in a Gothic Revival style, Adolphus Busch’s mausoleum reminds visitors of his strong and profound presence that changed the city of St. Louis.
The exterior of the mausoleum boasts intricate bronze spires. If visitors peek inside the large bronze double doors, they will get a glimpse of the unpolished red Missouri granite floors ornately inlaid with white granite floral patterns. The detailed, brightly colored stained glass windows focus on religious themes and flare rainbows into the tomb on sunny days. Created out of a deep love for her husband, the Busch tomb is riddled with symbolism—including the grape vines etched into the overhang of the mausoleum entrance, a subtle homage to his ironic love for a good wine over a beer.
Ellis Wainwright 1924
The Fulton Brewery, a wildly successful St. Louis brewery in the 1800s, was the brainchild of Samuel Wainwright. After his death in 1874, Samuel’s share of the brewing business was handed over to his son, Ellis Wainwright.
Inheriting a successful business, Ellis knew that he needed to capitalize on its success to keep it thriving. He became the president the St. Louis Brewing Association, an organization that put St. Louis on the map as a successful producer in the brewing industry. In 1890, Ellis decided to use the wealth that he had accumulated from his brewery to do something that no one had ever done before: build a multistory skyscraper with a steel-frame construction.
In partnership with famous architect Louis Sullivan, Ellis erected a monster architectural beauty: the Wainwright Building. This 10-story building was made of steel beams and terra cotta and was faced in sandstone. The skyscraper still stands tall on North 7th Street in downtown St. Louis.
In an unfortunate turn of events in 1891, Ellis Wainwright’s beloved wife, Charlotte (Lottie), contracted peritonitis, a serious abdominal infection. In only three days, it took her life at 34 years old, leaving behind her devastated husband. Her remains were kept at Bellefontaine Cemetery while Ellis fixated on creating a memorial for his sweetheart. He asked his new friend, Louis Sullivan, to be the architect for the project.
The mausoleum has a 12-by-12-foot limestone cubic base and a domed roof towering 18 feet tall. It’s adorned with an intricate bronze grill that covers the doors to the entrance. The bronze double doors lead into a lavish interior; its floor’s spiraling designs are spotted with muted tones of seafoam green, mauve, and cream. Near the top of the dome is a series of carefully placed clerestory windows—small windows at the top of the structure that let natural light seep in and illuminate each detail of the space.
In just a year, the intricate tomb was complete. Architectural historian Hugh Morrison says in his book Louis Sullivan: Prophet of Modern Architecture, “It is the most sensitive and the most graceful of Sullivan’s tombs, distinguished alike in its architectural form and its decorative enrichment.”
Lottie was reinterred into her beautifully adorned mausoleum in Bellefontaine on April 18, 1891. The St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that at her service “her grave [was] completely covered with exquisite flowers.”
After Lottie was settled, Ellis retreated to Paris, France. He returned to St. Louis several years later and lived there until his death on November 6, 1924. Ellis was interred next to his wife. They were placed side by side in sarcophagi, entombed under the floor of the mausoleum. Their burial inscriptions are carved into the floor of the mausoleum.
The Cascade Mausoleum Unknown
The Cascade Mausoleum, designed by Tom Wall at Mitchell Wall Architecture & Design, is a stunning piece of architecture that stands out for many reasons, one of which is that no one—except for the architect firm and select staff of the cemetery—knows who commissioned it to be built.
Tour guide and researcher for Bellefontaine Steve Langhorst informs curious minds that the family who built the intricate, $5.3 million burial site has specifically requested that their identity remain hidden until the first interment.
“It was the first mausoleum created in Bellefontaine Cemetery in over 70 years, and that came with its own kind of gravitas,” says Tom Wall, architect and owner of Mitchell Wall Architecture & Design. “But then on top of that, you know, when the client told me they wanted me to design the mausoleum, they gave me zero guidance. They just basically said, ‘Let’s see what you can do.’ ” Without hesitation, Wall got to work creating a symbolism-filled, purposeful work of art.
The Cascade Mausoleum, with its modern aesthetic, sits high on a hill across from Cascade Lake on Bellefontaine’s grounds. The structure is massive, towering at 26 feet tall and spanning 3,000 square-feet. The observing eye might notice that several levels have been built into the white and black polished granite. Visitors are invited by the owners to walk through each level of the mausoleum.
The structure’s three levels were created to symbolize the religious significance of life, death, and heaven. The 6-foot-high earth-and-grass berm that elevates the mausoleum represents life. On the main floor, the gated off, polished, cubical piece of black granite that holds the interments symbolizes death. The staircase that leads visitors up toward the sky and onto a platform that over- looks the cemetery grounds symbolizes heaven.
Three stained glass windows inside the entombment room hold additional religious significance and display Biblical scenes. The three arched windows line up perfectly with three stone arches outside the entombment room, signifying the Holy Trinity—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As the sun hits the windows at twilight, light shines through them, casting rainbow colors into the solemn room.
Another memorable element of the mausoleum is its sundial cross. At the top of the stairs, a large cross is carved through the 32,000-pound granite back wall. “I drove the masons crazy,” says Wall chuckling, “because I told them it had to be cut at exactly 27.9 degrees.” The exact science of the carving was a specific request by Wall. Wall says that the precise angle ensures that at 11:58 am, on December 20 each year—the client’s birthday—the sun will shine through the cross, brilliantly illuminating a cross in the middle of the mausoleum’s main platform.
Over a year’s time, Tom Wall worked with great passion to create the architectural masterpiece that rests at Bellefontaine. Presenting the finalized design to the client, Wall says, was extremely moving. “She said—and I’ll never forget it, because it’s the best compliment anyone has ever given me—‘I could spend eternity there.’ ”
The Birth of Bellefontaine: Bringing Beauty to Burial
Before the creation of Bellefontaine Cemetery in 1849, St. Louis’s cemeteries were largely overgrown, uncared for, and forgotten about. Weeds and tall grass overtook city grave sites and slowly choked out the history they held. In addition to the issue of cemetery maintenance, St. Louis was rapidly growing, and by 1841, it had transformed into the eighth-largest city in the United States. St. Louis began to swallow up and outgrow its church graveyard plots.
St. Louisans William McPherson, a banker and the fourth mayor of St. Louis, and John Fletcher Darby, a lawyer, worked to organize the Rural Cemetery Association of St. Louis in 1849. That same year, the association was successful in acquiring land for a rural cemetery. On July 12, the association purchased 138 acres of land and began improving the grounds.
It wasn’t long before the lush forest area three miles north of the city of St. Louis was carefully carved out. Tasteful stone buildings and a chapel were erected, walking paths were laid for the public to enjoy, and Bellefontaine became the first rural cemetery west of the Mississippi River. The Charter and By-Laws of the Rural Cemetery Association, and the Rules and Regulations of Bellefontaine Cemetery, published in 1850 by the association, reflects on the blossoming of Bellefontaine:
“Nearly all the land is covered with a beautiful growth of young timber, and presents sufficient variety of surface for the most tasteful improvements. The front of the bluff, on which the land is located, is distant about half a mile from the river, and … will afford a splendid view from the Cemetery grounds. The Bellefontaine road renders the grounds of easy access, and is the most quiet and pleasant public avenue leading from the city.”
More than a beautiful space to enjoy, the cemetery’s founders wanted it to be a place of peace, reflection, and education. Committed to creating a quiet and well-kept place to mourn, they transformed Bellefontaine into the architecturally refined and artistically driven 314-acre natural wonder that it is today.
Additional Notable Graves in Bellefontaine
WILLIAM GREENLEAF ELIOT: 1887
William Greenleaf Eliot established the first Unitarian church west of the Mississippi River and helped found Washington University in St. Louis.
VIRGINIA LOUISA MINOR: 1894
Virginia Louisa Minor was the first president for the Woman Suffrage Association of Missouri and petitioned the Supreme Court for women to gain the right to vote.
PHOEBE COUZINS: 1913
Phoebe Couzins became one of the first women to earn a law degree in the United States. In 1871, she made history by becoming the first woman to graduate from the Washington University Law Department.
SUSAN BLOW: 1916
Susan Blow, daughter of Henry Taylor Blow, established the first public kindergarten in the United States in 1873 and created training programs for kindergarten teachers.
DAVID R. FRANCIS: 1927
David R. Francis served as mayor of St. Louis, governor of Missouri in the 1880s, and US Ambassador to Russia from 1916–1917, during the Russian Revolution of 1917.
WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS: 1997
William S. Burroughs authored many widely acclaimed books including Naked Lunch and Junkie, bringing postmodern literature into the spotlight after World War II.
The article was published in the October 2025 issue of Missouri Life.
