Huston Cemetery – West Des Moines, Iowa - Atlas Obscura

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Huston Cemetery

West Des Moines, Iowa

A small burial plot formerly stranded in the middle of a road. 

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Huston Cemetery is a little country graveyard right in the middle of a roundabout in West Des Moines, Iowa. Established in 1847, the first graves were two young girls from a family traveling by wagon train.

Mr. Huston, the man who the cemetery is named for, was the first attorney in Dallas County, Iowa. He ran a stagecoach station, a post office, a saloon, and even established a stop on the underground railroad. He was the last burial in the cemetery, in 1889. He is buried alongside his wife and six children, plus a few other family members. Eleven graves have been recorded in total in Huston Cemetery.

As of 2021, the intersection has been re-routed to allow for widening and paving of the roads, so the little graveyard is no longer stranded in the roundabout and the fence around it has been restored by the City of West Des Moines.

Know Before You Go

It's easy to locate. Just drive right to it. There is enough room around the cemetery on the outside of the fence to park.

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