Lamoni Rose Hill Cemetery
About Rose Hill Cemetery
First burial at Rose Hill, Albert Dancer, Nov. 1881
Lamoni was first settled in 1879 when the town was plated and incorporated later in 1885. Rose Hill Cemetery was established by the RLDS church, now called Community of Christ, as a wholly owned affiliate of the Lamoni congregation and operated by a board of trustees. It was conceived to be the town cemetery, not a church cemetery.
In 1906 Iowa law required towns to provide for the burial of their citizens. Lamoni assessed a cemetery tax for Rose Hill to serve the community rather than establish a city owned cemetery. In the mid-1970s this tax ended, but the city continues to cover over half of mowing costs for services rendered.
Rose Hill once owned heavy equipment and hired a caretaker for grounds maintenance, lot sales, records management, and interments. Today contractors do most physical work on their equipment, whereas sales, records, and pinpointing dig sites are done by a volunteer sexton.