Holly Grove Cemetery is a historic cemetery, located on the south side of Crooked Bayou Drive, southeast of

McGehee, Arkansas McGehee is a city in Desha County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,219 at the 2010 census. History The history of the city of McGehee and the history of the railroad through McGehee are intricately interwoven. The history of ...

. The cemetery is the only surviving remnant of the community of Trippe Junction, established in 1857 by the families of William Fletcher Trippe and his brother-in-law Benjamin McGehee. A railroad spur line was constructed to the area in 1877, and a small town grew up around it. By the 1920s all of its businesses had failed, and by 1930 all but one building had succumbed to fire. The Holly Grove Methodist Church adjoined the cemetery, and was the site of many funeral services. The church was serving as a school when it burned in 1913. In 1958, a group of citizens raised money to assist with maintenance and upkeep of the cemetery. A bicentennial marker was erected by the Desha Historical Society in 1974. The southern section of the cemetery was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1999. The cemetery is composed of two sections, as it is divided by Arkansas Highway 4. The northern section continues to be used for burials, while the southern section is the location of 90 historic graves. It is bounded by a golf course on the west, a pasture to the east, and Crooked Bayou to the south. Its entrance is marked by the bicentennial marker, and there is a narrow dirt road forming a U shape providing vehicular access through the grounds. The oldest grave is that of Benjamin Scott McGehee, an infant who lived one month in 1862. Many graves are of immigrants born in Europe. Claude W. James, who owned several businesses in Trippe Junction and rode with

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

and his

Rough Riders The Rough Riders was a nickname given to the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish–American War and the only one to see combat. The United States Army was small, understaffed, and diso ...

, is interred here.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Buildings and structures in Desha County, Arkansas Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas 1857 establishments in Arkansas National Register of Historic Places in Desha County, Arkansas Cemeteries established in the 1850s

See also

References