Topeka Cemetery

I came to know Topeka first through the dead. They made me welcome.

When I first moved to the Kansas capital in 1992. I knew almost noone. Instictively drawn to the interesting grave markers, the mausoleums, the obelisks, the names. I only knew the names because I saw them on buildings and street signs and I was curious about who these people were. The more time I spent at Topeka Cemetery, coming to know the people whose lives were memorialized there, the more I felt a part of my new home. So many of those Topekans had not been born in Kansas, yet it had become their home. I figured if it worked for them, it could work for me. It has. Writing Stories in Stone opened the door to many people and many relationships. I have loved sharing just a few stories of the people who rest there.

 

I am working with ASA Marketing in bringing more stories to the public. They are in the process of launching a campaign to raise money for the longterm care of this historic, sacred site. Part of that involves revamping the website to include more and more biographies, obits, photos, and articles that are related to the cemetery. Memorializing your loved ones for future generations is a great gift. Introducing the future to the past results in a present with context and meaning. Let me know if you would like to have your family's story included in this valuable project. debbisel@yahoo.com

Visit the cemetery or contact me for a tour. The artwork, the landscape, and again, the stories, are all  historic treasures. Above, this statue of the mythic Niobe, who turned to stone mourning the loss of her children, is just one of the magnificent markers.

I have a handful of copies of Stories in Stone available which you can order on this site.