DAR Headquarters will be closed from March 16 to March 20. We will reopen on March 21. 

LOCATION:

St. Louis County
15290 Old Halls Ferry Road
Florissant MO
 
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 38.834738     Longitude: -90.283159
 

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

Cold Water Cemetery (CWC) is considered by historians to be the oldest Protestant cemetery west of the Mississippi River still in use. Located in Florissant Valley in St. Louis County, it was originally the Patterson family burial ground, established on a small portion of the 1500 arpents (an arpent is a French measurement almost equal to an acre), of a land grant acquired from it was given to Patriot John Patterson, an American Revolutionary War soldier who is buried there. John Patterson, Sr., gathered his family and with many of his friends and relatives, journeyed by wagon train from the Carolinas after the American Revolutionary War eventually arriving in the Cold Water Creek area around 1797. They began to acquire land which was from Spanish land grants as the area was under Spanish rule at the time. This area was called “The Patterson Settlement.” The Spanish were Catholics and this new breed of settlers being protestant was difficult for the Spanish to understand. The Pattersons retained their Protestant faith through the services of a Methodist Minister known as “Father Clark.” The first protestant church services were held in private homes in the area of Cold Water Cemetery in 1809 by Reverend John Clark. He crossed the Mississippi from Illinois to Missouri at night to be met on the other side by a covert connection, who would ride with him to a secret spot arranged by the Pattersons. Before dawn, Clark would slip back across the river before being captured and prosecuted for his heresy of promoting Protestantism. The scene was repeated hundreds of times until the attitudes softened and the hierarchy became more sympathetic to Protestants. Clark was probably the first Protestant minister to preach on this side of the river and, at the turn of the century, was making regular visits to the settlements along Cold Water Creek. The first church building erected there was in 1808-1809. Legend is that an eight-cornered Methodist church in the shape of a cross was established and the cemetery, which was to become Cold Water, was established on the circumference of the church grounds. The church was destroyed by fire and a second church called the Cold Water Church/Union Meeting House was begun in 1832. It took 38 years to complete the Meeting House. The Church was said to be used by the Methodists, Baptists, and an early Presbyterian congregation. It, too, is believed to have burned. The church disappeared but the cemetery endured.
 

WHO IS BURIED HERE OF SIGNIFICANCE

Veterans from ten wars that wore the “cloth of our Nation” are interred at Cold Water Cemetery. They fought for freedom and peace on strange and foreign shores that enable us to enjoy the freedoms of today. Among those are three American Revolutionary War Veterans: Reverend John Clark, Eusebius Hubbard, and John Patterson, Sr.
 
NSDAR members are at rest in Missouri State Society Daughters of the American Revolution (MSSDAR) Cold Water Cemetery, our beloved treasure in the woods. Each Daughter spent countless hours, days, months, and years as a member of our National Society dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for our children. Among those Daughters buried in Cold Water Cemetery is Lola Deckard Poikert, O’Fallon Chapter, NSDAR. Lola, as a member of the Cold Water Cemetery Association, approached the State Society about accepting the gift of Cold Water Cemetery from the Association. This suggestion was brought to the 1963 State Conference. After inspecting the cemetery on a tour, they voted to accept this gift.  Memorial Day 1963 was the date set for the dedication, unfortunately, Lola Poikert died just before the dedication and was laid to rest in Cold Water Cemetery.
 

HISTORICAL DESIGNATIONS:

  • National: National Register of Historic Places

HISTORICAL MARKER:

  • Marker Date: May 31, 2004
  • State of Marker: Missouri
  • Marker Organization: United States Department of the Interior
  • Marker Text:
COLD WATER CEMETERY
Listed on the National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Dedicated May 31, 2004
Missouri State Society DAR

FUNDING:

The cemetery is supported by donations to the General and Perpetual Care Funds. Since acquiring the cemetery in 1963 the MSSDAR has remained active in its preservation, restoration, and beautification. Ten foot sections of wrought iron fence, which have been donated as honorariums and memorials, completely enclose the cemetery. A Wall of Honor holds honorarium and memorial plaques and a Memorial Tree, containing an engraved plaque, can be purchased for a required donation and by contributing $10, $25, $50 or more, respectively. It is possible to become a friend, patron, or investor of the cemetery.
 

PHYSICAL CONDITION:

  • Preserve

TOURISM:

  • Open to Public: No

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS AVAILABLE:

Acknowledgement:
The Cold Water Cemetery is still a living cemetery owned and maintained by the Missouri State Society, DAR. Members throughout the state provide financial support for the perpetual care of the cemetery as well as countless of volunteer hours for beautification and grounds maintenance. Annually, a Memorial Day Service is conducted to honor the memory of our veterans and Daughters who are buried there. This service is open to the public; the date and time is available on the website.
Other Images
Historic Site

The Clapp House

The Clapp House - Quick Facts
HSP Category Building
Period 1753
HSP Style Colonial
Construction Wood
No. Stories Two
Notable Features Ebenezer Clapp was the Original Owner
Original Use Private Home
Present Use Current Owner is the Betty Allen Chapter, NSDAR

 

Historical Significance

The beautiful house, now the home of Betty Allen Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, is a notable example of early New England architecture, with its fine paneling, fireplaces, and unusually handsome, carved stairway copied from the pulpit staircase in Kings Chapel, Boston.

 

Ebenezer Clapp built the house about 1753 when he and his wife, Catherine (Catlin) Clapp moved to Northampton. Four generations of the Clapp family occupied the house. When Miss Harriet Clapp died in 1920, Karl S. Putnam purchased it and restored it to its original Colonial character.

 

Betty Allen Chapter DAR purchased the house from Mr. Putnam on April 7, 1926. The house was dedicated, and the first meeting was held in it, on October 15, 1926.

 

 

Historical Designations

  • National Historic District

 

Funding

  • By The Betty Allen Chapter, NSDAR

 

Physical Condition

  • Property: Preserve

 

Tourism

  • Open to Public
  • Family Friendly

Acknowledgement:

 

Restoration and Maintenance

Select a State to Explore our Historic Properties

Directions and application forms can be found on this page or in the Forms section of the DAR members' website.

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Upcoming Events

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    - 8:00 PM
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