History
Louisville Cemetery has served the community since 1892. As Louisville grew from a small farming and coal-mining town, local residents created a cemetery close to home. The land was purchased by three community organizations: the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, and Improved Order of Red Men.
The cemetery was divided into three sections, one for each organization, with rows of burial lots connected by narrow dirt roads. The City of Louisville later added its own section for residents who were not members of the fraternal groups. You can still see evidence of these original sections today.
In its early years, the cemetery was a simple prairie landscape with native grasses and very few trees. Beginning in the 1930s, longtime Louisville residents George and Laura Ellis led efforts to improve the grounds by planting trees, creating lawns, installing irrigation, and building a storage shed with help from local volunteers and businesses.
By the 1970s, the City of Louisville assumed responsibility for the cemetery and continues to care for and maintain it today. The cemetery expanded with two new burial sections in the 1990s, and additional improvements were completed as part of the Cemetery Master Plan adopted in 2008.
Today, Louisville Cemetery remains a peaceful place to honor loved ones while preserving an important part of the community's history.
