There is no record of the origin of Old Lamine Cemetery; all that we know is: There is about an acre in the southeast corner that is filled with unmarked graves. The only marked graves in that corner are those of the Cramer Family and they have a family tradition that in the beginning it was Cramer Land that was donated for cemetery purposes. The remainder of the cemetery was donated in small plots of 1/2 to 1 acre. The first plots were donated by Mr. Thomas Mellar of Lamine Township in the 1870 decade. Later a plot was donated by Eddie and Billie Sims in 1906. All three of these plots were deeded to the Elders of Old Lamine Christian Church. There was a small Baptist Cemetery located in what is now the south-central part of the cemetery and which was added to by the moving of the Baptist Church to Blackwater. The part from the Baptist Church is about an acre in size. During the 1940's, the Old Lamine School was closed

and became a part of the Blackwater School District. The Blackwater District donated the school yard to the cemetery. A new plot of three-fourth acre has just been purchased by the cemetery from Mr. and Mrs. Winkler. So much for the physical part of the cemetery; now as to organization and care of the cemetery: Previous to 1910, the cemetery was un-cared for and grew up in weeds and brush except for families caring for their own lots. During that year, the Ladies Old Lamine Cemetery Association was formed. The men met and cleared up the cemetery. It was sowed in bluegrass and sugar maples were set out along the driveways. I hesitate to try to name the ladies responsible for the organization - but to name a few families that I know were helpful would have to include: Gibsons; McMahans; Kincheloes; Turleys; Harrises; Sites; Wings; and others of the Old Pioneer families of the community. The ladies kept the cemetery in perfect condition for more than sixty

years - financing it by donations - an annual bazaar and dinner, and ice-cream socials. However, as the community changed, it became a burden upon a few ladies to stage the annual affairs and another method had to be employed. In 1964, a meeting was called by the Ladies Association to discuss a Perpetual Fund. Mr. Gus Boller spoke at that meeting. Among other things, he said were "Organize tonight or it will be postponed indefinitely". There were men present who had considerable business experience and proposed a corporation resulting in the Old Lamine Cemetery Corporation, where a board of directors undertook to raise an endowment fund for the perpetual care of the cemetery. The raising of the fund and maintenance of the cemetery is now the responsibility of the Old Lamine Cemetery Corp. While the fund is not yet large enough to guarantee the future, it is large enough that added to gate collections, it can take care of the cemetery at present. By Mr. D.

T. Weekley, Blackwater, Mo. - May, 1981