Old City graves to feature QR codes

Woodland and Old City Cemetery is located in the 1000 block of East McCarty Street in Jefferson City.
Woodland and Old City Cemetery is located in the 1000 block of East McCarty Street in Jefferson City.

Jefferson City's Cemetery Resources Board wants to make the histories of those buried at Old City/Woodland Cemetery accessible to the digital generation.

The board agreed Thursday to proceed with a pilot project to attach scannable QR codes to gravemarkers so visitors may access biographical information that will be stored on the city's website.

The test sample will be the two known World War I veterans and others from that era, featured in the June cemetery tour.

The board agreed because of the success of the first recent cemetery tour in June 2016, the event should become annual but with changing themes.

Board member Rebecca Gordon, also executive director of the Friends of the Missouri Governor's Mansion, suggested the World War I era to tie in with other organizations focusing on the 100th anniversary of the United States entering the Great War on April 17, 1917.

"It would be cool to highlight those stories and continue the theme," Gordon said. "And not just the soldiers's stories - make it more of a Cole County at war; it's a pretty powerful story."

Chairman Nancy Thompson endorsed the idea, noting it can help alleviate the misconception veterans are only buried next door at the Jefferson City National Cemetery.

Board member Pat Kerr agreed the addition of the codes plus the emphasis on the World War I era might be of interest to schools on field trips to the Capital City.

In other business, the board:

Learned mansion docents are continuing to research the background of veterans buried at the cemetery, and Gordon should deliver a full report at the February meeting.

Supported Thompson hosting an informational booth at the Historic City of Jefferson's annual meeting Feb. 19.

Encouraged Kerr to investigate the possibility of finding volunteers through the Veterans Court required community service.

Learned city staff will be reorganizing over the next year, and staff liaison duties will transition from Dave Grellner, environmental health manager, to Jayme Abbott, neighborhood services coordinator.