Cemetery: Cook
Cemetery
Other:
Sign: Yes
Street: Unsure of the name of the paved two-lane highway
which runs east-west and is south of the cemetery location. There
was a sign on the north side in front of the woods.
City: About a mile or two south of Brownfield, Missouri.
(Brownfield is south of Waynesville, MO - Off Interstate 44)
Township: Brownfield?
County: On or near the border between Laclede & Pulaski
counties. (I have seen maps showing it in either)
State: Missouri
Nation: USA
Zip: 65???
Status: Abandoned
Size: Small
Directions: I recall having to drive through a dry creek
bed (in woods) to get to it. It's on the edge of the woods. There
were cattle nearby a pond. There were two signs pointing to the
cemetery.
Type: Road-public
Location: Rural-mixed
Terrain: Hillside
Watersource: Yes
Features: Cemetery itself is overgrown with weeds - hard to
see from a distance, appears to be neglected for some time.
Land Type: Private
Access: Open
Enclosure: None
Gate: None
Established: Unsure but would have been at least 1880's.
Gravestones: Dozen at most.
Oldest: Unsure - 1890?
Newest: Unknown - May, 1900 was one of the stone death
dates.
Removed: Unknown
Relocated: No
Repairs: No
Methods:
Restoration: Unsure
Association: Unsure
Records: Unsure
Inventory: No
Records location:
Landscaping: No
Paths: Yes
Trees: No
Crypts: No
Fencing: No
Walkways: No
Brickwork: No
Ironwork: No
Sculpture: No
Fountains: No
Roads: No
Buildings: No
Cement: Unsure
Granite: No
Marble: No
Native Stone: Unsure
Slate: Unsure
Other Stone: Yes
Wood: Unsure
Materials: Unsure
Architectural: Unsure
Angels: Unsure
Draperies: Unsure
Fraternal: Unsure
Hands: Unsure
Lambs: Unsure
Monograms: Unsure
Plants: Unsure
Photos: No
Religious: Yes
Scrollwork: Unsure
Urns: No
Other Carvings: Unsure
Condition: Cemetery neglected
Unmarked: Unsure
Broken: Yes
Toppled: Yes
Disintegrating: Yes
Buried: Unsure
Weather problems: No
Pollution problems: No
Vandalized: Yes
Police report: No
VA: Gravestones-Broken
Overgrowth: Gravestones-Disturbing
Vegetation: Ground-Cover
Drainage: Good
Problem: Apathy
Owner: Unknown
Use: Agricultural
Bordering: Agricultural
Change: Unknown
Reason: Agriculture
Visited: Unknown
Archeology: Unknown
Habitat: Unknown
Contacted: Missouri Tombstone Project (from Rootsweb.com)
Surnames
Bench Cook?
Other Information
I'm sorry I don't have the
specific highway info readily available - I just stumbled on this
website and wanted to relay what I had seen back in the summer of
1994. Since that time, the condition of the cemetery has probably
gotten worse unless someone else has taken time to do something. I
would do something myself but I live much too far away to take
care of the place.
I have tried to make others aware
of the cemetery as well as it's approximate location. But given
the few number of graves there, it's hard to generate interest.
My own concern is that my GGG-Grandfather,
John Bench, is buried there along with his wife Mary Colbert Mills
Bench. There son Riley Bench married a Cook so that is their
connection to the Cook Cemetery.
I have some photos I took of the
place though not all of the stones I photographed, but I did
photograph the general area as well. When I have a chance, I will
later add the photos from 1994. I am unable to at this time.
Thanks for your efforts in all
preservations.
Nathan Haley Kansas City,
Missouri
P.S. I highly recommend that if
one go there, to use a 4-wheel drive (I drove my 1970 VW Beetle!)
but the creek bed was dry but extremely rough - was afraid that I
might not get out! But I would not go when the ground is muddy.
Also, in warm weather, watch out for snakes and ticks. I had
several ticks crawling up my leg when I was there in June, 1994.
Probably best to visit there during colder months.
Support
I do know there are Bench
descendants in Brownfield, Missouri, who might express support.
They (I forget their first names) were the ones who showed me on a
map where to find the cemetery.
Submitted by:
The email address
found below contains an "_" as the second
character. To send email to this person, you must remove the "_"
from the address. Email addresses are displayed in this way so
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name: Nathan Haley
Email: n_athan_haley@hotmail.com
Date: 29 December, 2001
