Follow
The cemetery is located on the south side of Lucas Street. The cemetery was established in 1843 and is 80 acres in size. The cemetery is owned and operated by the city of Muscatine, Muscatine County, Iowa.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) feature ID for the cemetery is 457130 (Greenwood Cemetery).
In 1836 the town of Bloomington (known today as Muscatine) was established. As the town grew, it became obvious that a special plot of ground needed to be set aside for a cemetery. The "New Burying Ground" was announced in an ad selling Family Lots in the "Bloomington Herald Newspaper" on August 18, 1843. The first recorded list of burials in this cemetery is titled "Public Burial Grounds Graveyard Register". It contains the names of 702 people who were buried from August 18, 1843 to September 4, 1853. Some have age at death, place of burial and cause of death noted.
For many years this register was considered lost and was recently rediscovered by Mrs. Robert S. McCleary as she was searching for her husband’s great great grandfather. So to facilitate its’ study, Eleanor B. McCleary and Jo Ann Carlson prepared a typewritten reproduction of the original Register and consolidated the documentation of the early public burial grounds. Plat map, early history, and a photo of the Early Settler Monument are included. Their book may be found at Musser Public Library in Muscatine, Iowa State Genealogical Library in Des Moines, Iowa State Historical Libraries in Iowa City and Des Moines. One may also contact Greenwood Cemetery, 1814 Lucas Street, Muscatine, Iowa. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday thru Friday, (563) 263-7051.
Greenwood Cemetery Chapel is an historic building in Muscatine, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2001.
The chapel was a given to the city of Muscatine by a local businessman and philanthropist, Peter Musser, as a gift in memory of his wife Tamson. It was designed by Muscatine architect Henry W. Zeidler, who also designed Hotel Tipton in Tipton, Iowa, and built by J.E. Howe who was also from Muscatine. The chapel was dedicated on May 12, 1901. Musser also donated the statue of Hope that was placed near the entrance of the chapel. He commissioned Becke and Wilson, a Muscatine marble works company, to create the statue in 1902. A second tower was added to the structure in 1912.
The Richardsonian Romanesque chapel is composed of two wings that are connected by a porte-cochere. It features a rough-faced asymmetrical facade, recessed windows, alternating bands of brick and stone, high gabled roofs, and wide arches located over the windows and doors.
A bell tower, part of the original structure, is located on the corner of the front-gabled east wing. A small tower was added to the west wing. The chapel is used for funeral services, seats 100 people, and is located in the east wing. The west wing contains office space.
Iowa Gravestones