BY BRITTANY FOSTER
The historic Delaware Cemetery is finally getting recognized at the national level.
After months of waiting, the Delaware Cemetery was recently approved and added to the National Register of Historic Places. The register is an official list of historic places in the U.S. deemed worthy of protection and preservation.
The Delaware Cemetery is more than 100 years old and is considered sacred since it is home to the remains of past Eudora residents and Delaware Indians. Most of the Delaware Tribe Indians are said to be buried in the northeast quarter of the lot.
Currently owned by Keith and Marilyn Neis, the cemetery is surrounded by well-aged trees and sits in a small part of a farm field just north of downtown Eudora and the Kansas River.
Ben Terwilliger, executive director of the Eudora Area Historical Society, said the cemetery is unique. The land is an area called Fall Leaf, which has historically been part of the Eudora area.
“I think it shows that we’re becoming more aware of our history, and we’re making more efforts to try to preserve our history,” he said of the recent initiatives to place Eudora locations on these historic registers.
The cemetery has withstood the forces of nature several times due to the Kansas River flooding onto the land and washing away a majority of the headstones. But the Eudora community and Haskell Indian Nations University have restored it each time to ensure the history it contains isn’t lost, according to a Eudora history website.
Zack Coleman, a student at Haskell Indian Nations University, understands the significance of this honor for the Delaware Cemetery.
“Historically, we had much more space to spread out to and had sacred locations that have long since been taken and replaced. If we don’t preserve what we have, then there’s very little that will last if history continues to repeat itself,” Coleman said.
The Delaware Cemetery is now the eighth property in the Eudora area to be added to the state or national registers.
In order to be added to the list, there are several steps and paperwork to have a property considered eligible. The owner has to contact the State Historic Preservation Offices, which then starts the nomination process that can take months to several years.
Terwilliger said the Eudora Area Historical Society has stepped up efforts in the past decade to try to promote local history via these registers.
“We feel it’s a really important thing to do, and it’s a really important legacy to preserve for future generations so we don’t lose our history,” he said.
Here are the locations now on state and national lists:
1. Pilla House: National Register
2. 707 Main Street: State Register
3. Beni Israel Jewish Cemetery: National Register
4. 720 Main Street: State Register
5. Clearfield Schoolhouse: National Register
6. Brender House: National Register
7. Holy Family Catholic Church: National Register
8. Delaware Cemetery: National Register
Reach reporter Brittany Foster at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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