The Missouri Crematory (also known as Hillcrest Abbey Crematory and Mausoleum, Missouri Crematory and Columbarium and Valhalla Hillcrest Abbey Crematory) was the sixth modern

crematory A crematorium or crematory is a venue for the cremation of the dead. Modern crematoria contain at least one cremator (also known as a crematory, retort or cremation chamber), a purpose-built furnace. In some countries a crematorium can also be ...

built in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and holds the distinction of being the first crematory built west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. The crematory is located at 3211 Sublette Avenue in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, just across from the State Mental Hospital off of Arsenal Street. Now called "Valhalla's Hillcrest Abbey" it is owned by the Zell Family, who also own the Valhalla Chapel and Memorial Park on St. Charles Rock Road.

Notable interments

* Pvt William Giles Hills (1841–1912), American Civil War

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient *

Edward C. Kehr Edward Charles Kehr (November 5, 1837 – April 20, 1918) was an American politician and lawyer from Missouri. Biography He was born on November 5, 1837, in St. Louis, Missouri. Kehr pursued an academic course, studied law and was admitted t ...

(1837–1918), US Representative *

Carman A. Newcomb Carman Adam Newcomb (July 1, 1830 – April 6, 1902) was a nineteenth-century politician, lawyer, judge and marshal from Iowa and Missouri. Life and career Born in Mercer, Pennsylvania, Newcomb completed preparatory studies and moved to Kent ...

(1830–1902), US Representative *

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...

(1943–1983), singer *

Paul Tietjens Paul Tietjens (; May 22, 1877 – November 25, 1943) was an American composer of the early twentieth century. He is best known for composing music for ''The Wizard of Oz (1902 musical), The Wizard of Oz'', the 1902 stage adaptation of L. Frank Bau ...

(1877–1943) composer

Gallery

Image:St Louis 1 006.jpg, The Missouri Crematory. Image:Missouri Columbarium ext 1.jpg, The Columbarium of the Missouri Crematory. Image:St Louis 025.jpg, The interior of the Columbarium of the Missouri Crematory.

References

External links

* * * Buildings and structures in St. Louis Death in Missouri

Buildings and structures in Missouri {{Commons category, Buildings in Missouri Missouri Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the nor ...

{{death-stub