ODD FELLOWS PACIFIC LODGE #86 WASHINGTON, MISSOURI
WILDEY CEMETERY
Wildey Cemetery can now be visited online at:
https://www.cemify.com/cem/wildey-cemetery
CEMETERY HISTORY
Wildey Cemetery was established in 1865 by Odd Fellows Pacific Lodge #86 as a cemetery for all, and is not exclusively for members of the IOOF.
The Odd Fellows Lodge purchased four acres of ground in 1865 in order to develop a cemetery. One of the commandments of Odd Fellowship is to bury the dead, or in other words, provide a respectable burial place for anyone who may not have one otherwise. Evidently, when the cemetery was platted an area was reserved in the center for a pending “memorial to the deceased Odd Fellows buried therein”. It would be nearly fifty years before the idea saw fruition.
Odd Fellow meeting minutes of June 27, 1910 reflect the establishment of a committee of three to “secure plans and drawings for a pagoda at the cemetery.” The three committeemen were Edward Gallenkamp (sexton of the cemetery), William Gieseke Sr., and Henry Herkstroeter. Nothing is mentioned in the minutes again until March 18, 1912 when it is stated that the Lodge “accepts report on erecting pagoda for price of $750-$800 and then on June 24, a note that “progress is under way” on the building of same. Wanting to incorporate the Odd Fellow symbol of three interlocked chain links in the pagoda’s design, local dentist and Odd Fellow member Dr. Otto Mallinckrodt stepped up to the plate and using his denture-making skill fabricated a mold that created the design for the tops of the columns.
On September 8, 1912 a dedication ceremony was held. Local Lodge officials as well as the Grand Secretary of the state-wide Grand Lodge spoke to the large crowd. For many years, the pagoda was the ending place of the annual Memorial Day Parade where then the local bands would play throughout the day.
If you have questions or would like more information please email us at: WildeyCemeteryWashington@gmail.com
