Mount Calvary Cemetery is located in north-central

Davenport, Iowa Davenport ( ) is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state. Davenport had a population of 101,724 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 cen ...

, United States. It was established as St. Marguerite's Cemetery in the 1850s on of property donated by Antoine LeClaire. It was officially platted by the Rev. A. Trevis, the pastor of St. Margaret's Church. At the time the cemetery lay outside the city of Davenport. Mount Calvary is in a section of the city that includes three other cemeteries: Davenport Memorial Park, Pine Hill, and Mount Nebo, which is located behind Pine Hill. The first cemetery operated by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in Davenport was St. Mary's Cemetery in the west end. Bishop

Mathias Loras Pierre-Jean-Mathias Loras (August 30, 1792 – February 19, 1858) was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic priest in the United States who served as the first Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque, Bishop of Dubuque, in what would become ...

Dubuque Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...

bought that property on January 17, 1849, from Judge G.C.R. Mitchell for $120. The

Mississippi and Missouri Railroad The Mississippi and Missouri Railroad (M&M Railroad) was the first railroad in Iowa. It was chartered in 1853 to build a line between Davenport, Iowa, on the Mississippi River and Council Bluffs, Iowa, on the Missouri River.Dix, John Adams. Speech ...

right of way was built through the southern section of the cemetery, and St. Mary's Church was erected on the property in 1867. Eventually the cemetery became too crowded and Holy Family Cemetery was established in the west end. St. Mary's Cemetery was discontinued and the graves were moved to either Holy Family and Mount Calvary in the early 1900s. Mount Calvary Cemetery contains the graves of the former bishops and priests of the Diocese of Davenport that surround a

crucifix A crucifix (from the Latin meaning '(one) fixed to a cross') is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the (Latin for 'body'). The cru ...

in the far end of the cemetery. Three of the bishops were initially interred in Sacred Heart Cathedral before being re-interred here in 1930. It also contains sections for the Carmelite Nuns, the

Congregation of the Humility of Mary The Sisters of the Humility of Mary is a Roman Catholic religious congregation, founded at Dommartin-sous-Amance, France, in 1855. The community immigrated to the United States in 1864, and established themselves near New Bedford, Pennsylvania. Thi ...

, the

Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary The Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known by its initials BVM, is a Roman Catholic religious institute founded in the United States by Mother Mary Frances Clarke. Its founders were Irish Catholics. The BVM currently works in tw ...

and the orphans from St. Vincent's Home.

Notable burials

* Isabel Bloom (1908–2001), artist *

Edward Catich Edward M. Catich (January 4 1906 – April 13, 1979) was an American Roman Catholic priest, teacher, and calligrapher. He is noted for the fullest development of the thesis that the inscribed Roman square capitals of the Augustan age and afterwar ...

(1906–1979), noted calligrapher and artist * Henry Cosgrove (1834–1906), second Bishop of Davenport, 1884–1906 * James J. Davis (1852–1926), third Bishop of Davenport, 1906–1926 * Ralph Leo Hayes (1884–1970), fifth Bishop of Davenport, 1944–1966 * Antoine LeClaire (1797–1861), co-founder of the city of Davenport * Johnny Lujack (1925–2023),

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

winner * John McMullen (1832–1882), first Bishop of Davenport, 1881–1883 * Marvin Mottet (1930–2016) social justice advocate * Jeremiah Henry Murphy (1835–1893), Mayor of Davenport;

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, 1883–1887 * Gerald Francis O'Keefe (1918–2000), sixth Bishop of Davenport, 1966–1993 * Hal Skelly (1891–1934) stage and screen actor

References

{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport, state=collapsed Buildings and structures in Davenport, Iowa Cemeteries in Iowa Cemeteries in the Quad Cities Roman Catholic cemeteries in Iowa Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport Protected areas of Scott County, Iowa Cemeteries established in the 1850s