By Mary Maurer
CADDO – Is your loved one a resident of the “Beautiful City of the Dead”? That’s the name used by the early citizens of Caddo, Oklahoma when referring to their local cemetery. Unfortunately, the beauty and safety of that cemetery is now in jeopardy due to tilting, broken, and fallen headstones. Time, harsh weather, and other factors have taken their toll and at this time approximately 150 headstones are in need of alignment and restoration. These include some of the earliest and most beautiful markers in the cemetery. Among those are the famous Woodmen of the World tree stump headstones. 
Gethsemane Cemetery, located just east of Caddo, was first set aside as a burial site in 1876. It was used for several years in a rather haphazard way until it was cleaned up and organized by the “Woman’s Club” in 1892. It is still managed by a group of women, reorganized and renamed the “Caddo Civic and Cemetery Club” (hereafter “the Club) in 1903 and incorporated in 1913. The Club’s goal has always been to maintain a beautiful resting place for our loved ones.
Although the Club applied for a Carolyn Watson Rural Oklahoma Community Foundation grant to complete the first phase of this ongoing project, funds were not available and their request has been placed on a reserve waiting list. The initial scope of work, therefore, will be limited to the Club’s cemetery management resources.
Cemetery Restoration Services, an Iowa cemetery restoration company, will select those most in need and perform the work. Work is expected to begin in mid to late January, weather permitting. Please be advised that a loved one’s headstone may be affected by this project. When visiting the cemetery, do not be alarmed if you see individuals and special equipment performing this important work. Please do not approach them and remain a safe distance away until the work is finished. If you have questions or concerns, you may contact the Club’s restoration project coordinator, Celia Reid, by call or text, at (940) 391-6502, by January 15, 2026.
It is the hope of the Club that this project will increase safety for those who visit the cemetery and for cemetery workers, maintain the beauty of the cemetery, and preserve the historical significance of this beloved resting place.