Known Burials at Ritchie Cemetery
Do you have historical photos of the cemetery? Do you have relatives at Ritchie? Have you seen references to the cemetery in family histories or original manuscript material from early Shawnee County history? If any answer is yes, please get in touch!
We uncovered no evidence that Ritchie Cemetery was ever managed in any formal way. Its founders called it "South Topeka Cemetery," but their intent for how it was to be administered is unclear.
No organizational charter was filed with the State. Nor was a cemetery plat filed with the Register of Deeds. Nor were burial records created, at least none that survived.
During our research of the cemetery, three major areas of investigation emerged: 1) founding of the cemetery
and the role of early free-state settlers; 2) arrival of the Exodusters and the subsequent use of the cemetery by Black Topekans during its most active period of known use; and, 3) the modern era, especially when urban development reached the vicinity of the cemetery and issues surfaced about ownership of the cemetery and its boundaries. (See Some Key Dates below.)
Questions remain in all three areas. There also are big gaps—long stretches of time where virtually nothing is known, at least not yet.
1859
First known burial at the site
1862
Sale of 5-acre tract to three trustees of South Topeka Cemetery (the original name)
1879
Peak period for arrival in Topeka of the Blacks who came to Kansas from southern states as part of the Exoduster migration
1883
Sale transaction from 1862 is recorded with the Shawnee County Register of Deeds
1886
First known African American burial at Ritchie
Earliest known use of the name "Ritchie Cemetery"
1886 (cont)
1909
Mt. Auburn Cemetery opened to serve Topeka's Black community
1933
"Plat of Survey in NW 1/4 Section 12-12-15" prepared by Shawnee County Surveyor
1941
Last known burial at Ritchie
1952
Cemetery included in 15.8 sq. mi. area annexed into City of Topeka
1957
Ownership, boundaries at issue following a developer's excavation of dirt from the site
Park Commissioner proposed pioneer monument
Plat of Survey showed boundaries of cemetery "as it is used and occupied"
1962
City declared cemetery abandoned, assumed control over it, put it under supervision of Park Commissioner
1965
Plat of Survey drawn regarding boundary with the Lee property on the west
2012
Cemetery maintenance assigned to City Forester following merger of city and county park operations