Preserving a serene symbol

Article and photos by Ethan Nahté

If you live in Polk County, especially in and around Mena, odds are you have attended a funeral or visited a gravesite was a local dentist, police judge, architect and designer, as well as the publisher of one of Mena’s earliest newspapers called New Era. He was also the first Noble Grand of Lodge No. 152, IOOF, being one of the original 22 charter members for No. 152 when it was created circa 1898. Lindsay served as manager of the Odd Fellows Cemetery for approximately 10 years.

According to the IOOF site, “Burying the dead was taken very seriously by early Odd Fellows, and most lodges purchased land and established cemeteries as one of their first activities in a new town or city. In many areas all phases of burial (sometimes including services now provided by undertakers) were provided by Odd Fellows in the earlier days. Cemeteries were often open to the public, and plots were sold for a few dollars each… .” at Pinecrest Cemetery. It is alternately known to some as either Pinecrest Gardens or Pinecrest Memorial Park, which is the name on the sign at the cemetery entrance (not to be confused with the cemetery of the same name in Alexander, Arkansas.). Regardless of the appellation or spelling variation you use, it is Polk County’s largest cemetery, containing approximately 4,500 graves,

The name and an in-depth history are a story for another day, although a bit of background is a necessity. In 1904, a parcel of land was obtained to be used as a cemetery for residents of Mena and surrounding areas. This land became known as the Odd Fellows Cemetery, named for the purchasers, Mena Lodge No. 152, Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF).

Solomon Lucien (S.L.) “Old” Lindsay

As a matter of fact, there were several across Arkansas. Some cemeteries still retain the Odd Fellows name while others, like Pinecrest, changed with ownership.

According to a July 31, 1970, historical report by Lilliam W. Burtch, Margaret R. Ogden and Rachel I. Ritchie (“Odd Fellows Cemetery 1904-1933 Pinecrest Memorial Park 1933-1969, Mena, Arkansas”), many early improvements to the cemetery were done, such as the bridge entrance and the erection of the stone wall across the front.

Gazebo

Another improvement occurred in 1930 when a shelter house or chapel was built in the middle of the original plot of land, surrounded by hundreds of trees. The gazebo structure was intended to be used as a place to either See PINECREST continued on page 13