JAMESTOWN, Mo. - Underneath the shade of a Liberty Tree, the 150-year-old Concord Cemetery lays open to the elements in Jamestown.
Some of the oldest burials are in need of some headstone restoration.
The cemetery association at its recent annual meeting decided to move forward with some improvements.
Nicholas and Margaret Less donated land in 1868 to the Concord Columbian Presbyterian Church, which once stood in the now-parking lot facing Missouri 179 adjacent to the cemetery.
The Presbyterian church was sold in 1950 to the Assembly of God congregation, which then donated it to the newly-formed association in 1969.
One section on the platte map dates to 1825, noted Jamestown historian Peter Schlup. But the earliest burial still with a marker is 1840, for an infant buried not long after the Dearing family moved from North Carolina.
Some markers have been taken from the cemetery. Others are covered in nature and a few are off of their bases.
Schlup has a connection to the cemetery, with four sets of grandparents buried there.
He has been cleaning tombstones there and posting photos and information to the genealogy website, findagrave.com.
Schlup has identified 312 burials through markers, obituaries and death certificates. But he said he is sure there are more.
Sadly, he has been unable to find the Concord church's records.
The cemetery association raises funds regularly to maintain the well-kept cemetery. However, it currently seeks additional donations to help in the restoration project.
Other cemeteries in the immediate Jamestown community have received some attention in recent years, Schlup noted.
"It's important to invest in cemeteries," Schlup said. "Because my family is there, to me, that's history."