Historic cemetery in Herculaneum, Missouri, USA
Gov. Daniel Dunklin's Grave
is a
Missouri state park
at
Herculaneum, Missouri
, preserving the gravesite of
Daniel Dunklin
, who was
governor of Missouri
during the mid-1830s. Dunklin died in 1844 and was buried on his family estate, but was reinterred in 1885 when most of the estate he was buried on was sold. In 1965, the state of
Missouri
took control of the site to serve as a memorial to Dunklin, who is credited as the father of Missouri's public education system. The site covers 1.37 acres (0.55 ha) and is operated by the
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
. The cemetery is surrounded by
limestone
walls and overlooks the
Mississippi River
.
Background
[
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]
Daniel Dunklin
was born on January 14, 1790, in
Greenville, South Carolina
. He served as a
militiaman
during the
War of 1812
, and then entered politics in
Washington County, Missouri
in 1815. He held a seat in the
Missouri House of Representatives
in 1822 and 1823, before becoming the
Lieutenant Governor of Missouri
in 1828. Holding that position through 1832, Dunklin won the
that year's Missouri gubernatorial election
as a member of the
Democratic Party
.
[1]
The
Jefferson City News Tribune
has credited Dunklin with "founding the state's public school system".
[2]
He resigned his position on September 30, 1836, and was appointed as a surveyor general in
Illinois
and
Missouri
.
[1]
In 1840, Dunklin moved to the
Herculaneum, Missouri
, area. In 1843, he was appointed to help adjudge a boundary dispute between Missouri and
Arkansas
, and he died of
pneumonia
on July 25, 1844. He was buried on his family estate in Herculaneum. In 1885, Dunklin's son was forced to sell the estate, with only 1 acre (0.40 ha) remaining. The single acre became the Dunklin
family cemetery
, and the remains of Dunklin and his wife were moved there.
[3]
Historic site
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By 1951, the
Tri-City Independent
newspaper of
Festus, Missouri
, reported that Dunklin's grave site lay "neglected on a bluff".
[4]
On August 25, 1965, the
Missouri Parks Board
accepted control of the site to maintain it as "a memorial park in remembrance of Daniel Dunklin".
[3]
The acquisition foreran a 1967 state law requiring the state to ensure that the grave sites of all former state governors were marked, and to maintain those graves "not within a perpetual care cemetery".
[3]
[a]
The cemetery is run by the
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
.
[3]
The park is located at 104 Dunklin Drive in Herculaneum, and administration of the site is run through
Mastodon State Historic Site
. The park has a overlook view of the
Mississippi River
.
[5]
During 2020, 2,756 people visited the park, which had a single part-time staff worker. The site's budget was $2,515 and it covered 1.37 acres (0.55 ha). During 2020, the Missouri State Parks system held an archaeology demonstration at the location.
[6]
The park, which is located on bluffs above the Mississippi, consists of the grave site surrounded by
limestone
walls.
[7]
Intepretative signage is present.
[8]
Notes
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References
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External links
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