History of Saint Clare Catholic Cemetery

Saint Clare Catholic Cemetery has carried many names throughout its long history. On Findagrave it was formerly listed as Saint Johns Catholic Cemetery, also known as the Franklin Pioneer Catholic Cemetery. Outside of Findagrave, it has often been referred to simply as the Franklin Catholic Cemetery. Its earliest known name was Mt. Olivet, though only a handful of references to that name survive. Newspapers of the time typically described it as the "Catholic cemetery southeast of Lawrence" or the "Catholic cemetery at Franklin."

Church records from Saint John the Evangelist parish used yet another name—Mt. Calvary—between 1886 and 1918. No parish burial records exist prior to 1886. When a new Catholic cemetery was established within the city of Lawrence in 1918, the parish transferred the Mt. Calvary name to the new site. After that point, the original "Franklin Catholic" cemetery ceased to be used.

The name "Franklin" comes from the nearby town of Franklin, which existed primarily between 1853 and 1870 just south of the cemetery grounds. A separate cemetery, Franklin Cemetery, lies to the east and has always been distinct from the Catholic burial ground.

Founding and Early Ownership

The land that is now Saint Clare Catholic Cemetery was first deeded to the Catholic Church in 1868, with Bishop John Baptist Miege—the first Vicar Apostolic for the Indian Territory east of the Rocky Mountains—listed on the original deed. At that time, Catholic properties were deeded directly to the presiding bishop, a practice that continued until the 1930s. Today, the cemetery is owned by the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

In April 2025, parishioners of Saint John the Evangelist voted to give the cemetery its current name: Saint Clare Catholic Cemetery.

Originally the cemetery comprised ten acres. In 2025, an additional 1.5 acres were acquired from the City of Lawrence to create a new driveway and entrance on the north side of the property, now accessed via Venture Park Drive.

Burials and Use

The oldest known burial is that of Dennis Moran, an eight‑month‑old child who died in 1870. His stone remains on the grounds, shared with his mother, Bridget Moran (d. 1884). The last marked burial is that of Mary Allen, who died in 1916. A newspaper article from November 1917 describes Thomas Sweeney negotiating the sale of land near Oak Hill Cemetery to establish a new Catholic cemetery—what would become the new Mt. Calvary in Lawrence. By early 1918, the original cemetery was no longer in active use.

It is estimated that over 150 burials took place at the site between 1868 and 1917. Much of what is known today comes from Saint John the Evangelist parish records, archived newspapers, William Hastie's 1939 Douglas County cemetery survey, mortuary records, and Jean Snedegar's Complete Tombstone Census of Douglas County Kansas (1980s). Very little oral history survives, likely because more than a century has passed since the cemetery was last used.

Many burials were later moved to the new Mt. Calvary Cemetery, though no formal transfer records exist. Their tombstones, however, now stand at Mt. Calvary.

Today, seventeen stones remain on the property, mostly in the north‑central area among tall oaks and cedars, and in the southeast corner. Some stones are broken, toppled, or missing parts of their original settings. No additional stones are expected to be found.

Neglect, Rediscovery, and Restoration

For nearly a century, the cemetery was largely forgotten. Occasional cleanup efforts occurred, but the site repeatedly fell back into neglect. In 2016, the pastor of Saint John the Evangelist asked the Knights of Columbus to begin restoring the property—both to honor those buried there and to prepare for future use, as Mt. Calvary was nearing capacity.

On October 1, 2016, Knights of Columbus volunteers began the first of many Saturdays clearing decades of overgrowth. Countless hours were spent cutting trees, removing brush, and reclaiming the grounds.

In July 2024, a new cemetery committee was formed to prepare the site for active use once again. Cemetery software was purchased, site plans were approved by Douglas County and the City of Lawrence, and a new entrance and driveway were constructed. Saint Clare Catholic cemetery is ready to accept new burials as of October 2025, more than one hundred years after the last interment.

Brian Walter

March 1, 2026