Hannibal’s Mt. Olivet, Haunted? Nope. Historic? Absolutely

In recent days on these digital pages, we've shared a good bit of information about "ghost tours" or "haunted tours" of some area cemeteries. But, there's one Hannibal cemetery that will not be part of any sort of haunted tour.

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In a Facebook comment on a story about one of these haunted tours, Mt. Olivet Cemetery Manager/Caretaker Donna Brown took an opposing view. "Cemeteries are meant to be places of rest and peace for loved ones," Brown said. "Visiting loved ones should be respectful, yet joyful as you celebrate the lives and honor them with your visit."

Brown went on to say,"Touring a cemetery just to conjure souls of the past for your entertainment or to satisfy your curiosity, to me, is disrespectful at the very least."

Whether it's haunted or not, one thing Mt. Olivet Cemetery is is historical. They have Self-Guided Historical Walking Tours through the cemetery in the daylight hours.

A walk through historic Mt. Olivet reveals the final resting places of a host of famous Hannibalians, beginning with the parents and siblings of Sam Clemens, Joe Douglas, the man upon whom the Mark Twain character Injun Joe was based, Admiral Robert Coontz, after whom Hannibal's recreation center is named, Clarence Gideon, the father of the nation's Public Defender system, and Don Farout, legendary Mizzou football coach.

The history, plus the scenery, especially in the fall, are excellent reasons to take a "non-haunted" tour of Mt. Olivet Cemetery.