Founded as a civic and historical institution, William McPherson, a lawyer and banker, established Bellefontaine Cemetery in 1849. McPherson and a group of preeminent citizens purchased 138 acres north of St. Louis, which included the Hempsted Farm and cemetery. During a period when many cities were developing rural cemeteries, Bellefontaine was the first west of the Mississippi, the 14th in the United States.

The first internment occurred on April 27, 1850. Throughout the next year, there were over a thousand internments, mostly removals from other cemeteries. Since the beginning the cemetery accepted internments of all races and religions.

Within the next 40 years, the cemetery developed as a community center. Many people visited the cemetery, enjoying the sculptures and going for pleasure drives. Due to the number of visitors, Bellefontaine required tickets for admission and had over a thousand interments a year.

Over the history of Bellefontaine, the cemetery went through several expansions and renovations. The cemetery added running water, green house and paved roads for pleasure driving.

In 1891, Ellis Wainwright, a St. Louis tycoon, hired Louis Sullivan to build a tomb for his wife. The Wainwright tomb is called the Taj Mahal of St. Louis because of the simple dome on top of cube. In 1970, the Wainwright Tomb was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The cemetery houses many notable names: William Clark, who explored the North West with Merriwether Lewis, Irma S. Rombauer, the author of Joy of Cooking, Luther Ely Smith, founder of the Jefferson Expansion Memorial, Dred Scott, the slave who sued for freedom, and Adolphus Busch of Busch Brewing.

Today, the Bellefontaine Cemetery has grown to 314 acres, and now sits in the middle of urban. St. Louis.

Researched, written, and narrated by University of West Florida Public History Student Kelcie Lloyd