Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery, Bound by 30th Avenue to the North, Route 66 to the east, 26th Avenue to the south, and the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway on the west, Miami

Source document Quoted word for word from HALS OK-47. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Bound by Avenue to the North, Route 66 to the east, Avenue to the south, and the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway on the west. Miami, Ottawa County, Oklahoma Lat: Long: (Center of Office Building, Google Earth, Simple Cylindrical Projection,

Source document Quoted word for word from HALS OK-47. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Created on land that was originally ceded to Native American Tribes from the United States Government, the land was set aside for a cemetery at the turn of the Century. It owes its beginning to the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization composed of veteran Union soldiers from the Civil War. It is most notably the burial home for many of veterans from northeastern Oklahoma. Other notable burials include Mickey Mantle's parents, who were from nearby Commerce, Oklahoma. Its location along historic Route 66 also connects it to the iconic "Mother Road." Description: The cemetery is bordered by Avenue to the North, Route 66 to the east, Avenue to the south, and the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway on the west.

There are three main gated entrances to the site off of Route 66 and one additional gated entrance off of Avenue. There is no entrance from the north or the west. The layout of the streets and plots is generally rectilinear. However, the northern third of the site is curvilinear. Two of the entrances off of Route 66 contain a focal monument once inside the cemetery. The majority of the landscape is turfgrass with periodic trees scattered across the site, with most occurring along the road network through the site. The southern area of the site contains the majority of the mature trees, with no formalized layout or design other than near the vehicular circulation routes. This is the older portion of the cemetery. Other than the trees, the narrow road lanes indicate an older layout.

As the cemetery progresses to the north the trees become more sparse and smaller and the roads become wider, indicating newer additions. There are four structures on the site: a gazebo, office, toll house, and a maintenance building. Today the cemetery consists of burial plots with a typical 18" spacing between them. It lies along Route 66 in Miami, Oklahoma. Residential areas border the cemetery's north side. On the west is primarily industrial, while the southern and eastern sides contain a mix of commercial, residential, and churches. Notable burials include Union and Confederate veterans of the Civil War, veterans of World Wars I and II, 15 World War II British flyers from the Royal Air Force, and Mickey Mantle's parents.

History: The land was originally part of a 200 acre allotment given to Peter Labedie, a GRAND ARMY of the REPUBLIC CEMETERY HALS NO. OK-47 PAGE 2 Native American of the Confederated Peoria, Laskaskia, Wea, and Pliankashaw Tribes. In the Grand Army of the Republic purchased 36 acres of this land for the purpose of providing burial plots for its members. The cemetery has expanded over the years to 86 include acres.

Source document Quoted word for word from HALS OK-47. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Steve Eilers, April 17, Dr. Charles L. Leider, Professor and Faculty Sponsor Landscape Architecture Program Oklahoma State University and ASLA HALS Liaison for Oklahoma charles.leider@okstate.edu GRAND ARMY of the REPUBLIC CEMETERY HALS NO. OK-47 PAGE 3 Cemetery plan (Steve Eilers, April 17, GRAND ARMY of the REPUBLIC CEMETERY HALS NO. OK-47 PAGE 4 Typical grave layout and planting throughout cemetery (Steve Eilers, April 15,