Cemetery History

The Town obtained ownership of some of the Mount Pleasant Cemetery property on June 20, 1881 when the St. Louis and Denver Land and Mining Company deeded it the to the Town. If you read the deed, in the legal description it says "The boundary lines are due north, south, east, and west on and surrounding the present site now being used as a Burying Yard or Cemetery for the inhabitants of Erie and vicinity." How long it had been a burial yard prior to 1881 is not known at this time.

Why is it a special place?

This is the oldest historic place still standing in Erie. Mount Pleasant Cemetery has both local and regional historic significance. The cemetery is a tangible link with the past, and a place that is sacred and significant. As you walk through Mount Pleasant you will see many different types of monuments and plots. These historic markers provide us with some of the earliest written local history. The headstones reveal names and dates for locally significant persons as well as provide valuable information to those interested in their family histories.

Has it always been known as Mount Pleasant Cemetery?

Probably not, but no one is quite sure when it was named Mount Pleasant. The first deeds were issued in 1901 and they refer to the "Erie Cemetery" in those deeds. The Methodist Church has a very long history in Erie starting in 1925 when the Methodist Church in Pleasant View Ridge near Longmont closed and the church building was moved to the Town of Erie. There was an old sign in front of the cemetery from the 1940's (replaced in 1991) with the name "Mount Pleasant" so the name has been around more than 70 years.

What is the exact location?

The cemetery is at 520 Colliers Boulevard - Section 18, Township 1, Range 68.

Which is the oldest grave?

The oldest headstone in the cemetery dates back to 1869, though historians believe it is probably a memorial and not a grave. The next oldest date for a gravesite is from 1871.

How many graves are there at Mount Pleasant?

There are approximately 1,300 burials with more than 300 unmarked graves. Many of the original markers were made of wood and have since degraded or worn away. There are approximately 1,400 spaces still available in the cemetery.

Has the cemetery been enlarged through the years?

In 1900 the Town was deeded the section due east of the first cemetery, this was called the "New South" because of a division running east and west between the roads. In 1942 the Town was deeded the section to the north, this became the "New North" section.

Are cemetery burial records intact and available to view?

There are virtually no records prior to 1901, the only record would be the headstones that are still intact. There are receipts for plots sold, but no actual interment records until the 1960's and even those are incomplete. In historic files of the cemetery are almost 200 copies of Burial Transit permits, more than 100 of which give no indication to where the person was actually buried. More than half of those have so far been matched up with deeds and their burial locations recorded. In 2009 the Town purchased new software which allowed the cemetery records to be recorded electronically.