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Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 79F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Mainly cloudy. Low 67F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

The Carroll Cemetery's east gate from the north east.

The Carroll Cemetery's east gate Work Progress Administration sign.

The Carroll Cemetery's east gate from the north east.

North and East Gateways and Stone Fence Development:

Almost since the cemetery’s beginning, several different fences and gates have enclosed the grounds, leading to the present north gateway, east gateway, and boulder wall that connects them on the north and east sides.

In April 1873 a committee consisting of Mayor John F. Tuttle and Recorder William Lynch, Jr., were appointed to confer with two bidders for the first cemetery fence and, according to the Town Council minutes, “make contract with the lowest bidder for the construction of the said Cemetery Fence and to get from them the best terms on the contract for 4 Board Fence 3 Board & cap.” The committee was authorized to oversee the construction of the fence.

The Carroll Cemetery's east gate Work Progress Administration sign.

In 1885 a new arch was erected at the north entrance and “handsomely decorated” for Memorial Day ceremonies. In June 1894 the lumber of the third wooden fence (which had replaced the by-then dilapidated 1885 wooden fence) was sold, and it was replaced with a woven wire fence.

In January 1911 the Carroll Cemetery Association was organized to oversee improvements to the City Cemetery so that the grounds, driveways, and graves would be given closer attention. The Association erected an iron fence along the north side to replace the 1894 wire fence. The association secured material from H. W. Stratemeyer, owner of a local marble works, for the iron fence and a large double gate, including an arch above the driveway gate and the pedestrian gate, over which were the words, “Our Silent City.” The 1937 iron gate and stone fence replaced this 1911 iron fence and gates.

City engineers erected new ornamental fencing on the east side of the city cemetery, similar to that which was on the north side, in July 1927. The old east side fence was put up on the west side. The new fence, which cost $500, was made possible by the $1,000 bequest left by the late H. E. Russell for the beautification of the cemetery. He gave an additional $500 to the city, in trust, to be used in grading and leveling Block 1 in the Carroll cemetery. Mr. Russell also left $1,000 to the churches to beautify the Catholic Cemetery.

Beginning in December 1935, a monumental gateway--eighty feet broad, with pillars ten feet high, and made of stones from the countryside of Carroll County--was constructed by the WPA on the east side of the recently acquired 1933 Ries Addition. The 1936 completion date and WPA are listed on a plaque on the south pillar. This entrance now serves as the main formal entry to the cemetery.

At the same time as the new east gateway, a boulder wall of native fieldstones, masonry, and wrought iron was constructed along the east boundary of the Addition. The wall attracted so much favorable comment among the government officials that it was decided to duplicate the stone and iron fence along the north boundary also. The old iron gateway on the north side was poorly adapted to more modern conditions, being too narrow for autos and too near the street. The iron gate and fence had reached the point where the posts were rusting off and out of line. Replacing the 1911 iron fence and gates with the north entryway gate and stone fence completed the 1,400 feet of wall and 89 pillars in 1937.

The gates and upper part of the WPA fence are made of spear-tipped wrought iron and painted black, according to a longstanding superstition that iron repels spirits. The black iron spikes on top of the fence are meant to discourage restless souls from leaving the burial ground.

In October 2005 cemetery sexton John Snyder reached his goal of raising $15,000 to repair the cemetery’s historic stone wall. Ron Bernholtz of Bernholtz Masonry donated $500 worth of labor in memory of an employee who had recently passed away and had been working on the wall repairs. That donation pushed fundraising over the top.

The Carroll City Council had agreed to match the $15,000 if the goal were met. Any additional donations would be used to make similar repairs on the war veterans’ memorials in the cemetery.

Snyder said the wall, a distinctive feature of the Carroll Cemetery, was badly deteriorating, cracking between stones, and he feared for its future. “It’s something I thought needed to stay here,” he said, “and if we didn’t repair it, it was going to be torn out because it couldn’t take much more deterioration.”

Restoration included tuckpointing and resealing the wall. A crew of 11 students and a couple of faculty members from Kuemper Catholic High School painted the black wrought-iron fence atop the wall as part of the school’s annual community-service day. City employees completed the painting when time allowed.

Noting the historical significance of the project, Snyder marveled over the quality of work and the tremendous labor that must have gone into building the wall in the 1930s. “To build something like this today, the figure would be phenomenal,” he said of the cost. “They didn’t have skidloaders, dump trucks and Bobcats. They used ropes and leather harnesses. You couldn’t find today enough men who would be willing and able to do a project like this for the wages those guys were paid. The men accepted the work thankful to get a job and be able to put food on the table for their families.”

Snyder praised the generosity of donors who made the fundraising achievement possible. “It was fantastic. There were donors big and small” from around the country, he said. Locally, the project was supported by businesses, organizations and individuals; for instance, several businesses donated materials for the Kuemper students’ painting day.

“It’s our history,” Snyder said of the wall. “It has connection to many people in town.”

Catholic Cemetery Fence and Gates:

In 1925 a new fence was built along the east side of the St. Joseph and Sts. Peter and Paul Cemeteries. Around 1940 the city hauled in some rock to complete the cemetery fence along the Catholic cemetery, but it was never finished with a stone structure.

Along South Grant Road now a four-foot tall black wrought iron fence with four-sided spire wing tip finials borders the former Catholic Cemetery from the City Cemetery’s stone wall to the south edge of the cemetery grounds. In the early 1960s this iron fence replaced a wire fence with wooden posts. Consisting of 80 seven-foot sections, the iron fence is divided by an entry with two wrought iron gates, each 12’ wide by 46” high. On either side of these gates is a 14-foot curved section of fence with two 24” square stone pillars at each end of the curved piece.

On the west side of the cemetery a chain link fence replaced a welded wire and wooden post field fence in the 1950s. The southern edge of the cemetery area is bordered by an asphalt road separating it from the reserve ground

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