Completed Projects Gallery
Ober Stone Project
Original Ober Stone
Block 8 Restoration
Hayes Stone
He lied buried in an unmarked grave in the cemetery of the city he helped found. Mr. Hayes and his wife Ann were buried in the early 1900’s in Block 3 of the cemetery under the shade of a white oak tree. There is no evidence a tombstone ever marked the gravesite of the couple.
The Memorial Society was able to finally honor the memory of the man who played a critical role in the early years of our community by erecting a memorial monument for Mr. and Mrs. Hayes. The story of John and Ann Hayes was recounted at the Society’s cemetery walk last fall, and the $285.00 in proceeds from the walk were set aside for erection of a monument. A design of the vertical tombstone was finalized. The cost $1,585.00. The Society received a very generous donation from Ivie League Homes to enable the purchase of the monument which was placed and dedicated September 2022.
Block 1 Improvement
Potter's Field
Have you heard of the term "potter's field"? It is a burial grounds for indigent persons. It takes its name from the Bible when Judas Iscariot returns the 30 pieces of silver he received for betraying Jesus to the high priests. The temple priests do not return the silver to the temple coffers as it is "blood money" but use it to purchase a field to bury paupers. As the story goes, the field they purchased was the area in in which potters dug their clay. It became common practice for cemeteries to set aside an area for the burial of indigent individuals and the area was known as potter's field. In the Wright City Cemetery, an area on the south side of Block 1 was designated as potter's field, and the first burial there occurred in the 1880's. There are 53 known burials in potter's field. These include 11 infants. Only 20 of the 53 are marked with a gravestone that was placed by a family member or friend. There was no marker for the remaining 8 infants and 25 individuals. Their names are only known through the cemetery records. The Memorial Society has always felt that these individuals needed to be honored with a marker, so the idea was developed to have a memorial brick patio constructed in the potter's field area. The remaining 33 individuals now have a marker with their name etched in the red brick that lies within the cross on the brick patio.
