Administration & Engineering | Street | Parks | Cemetery | Wastewater

Cemetery Department

Hours of Operations – Monday – Friday - 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Employees

Cemetery (641) 828-0584

Kevin DeLong – Cemetery Supervisor

Purchasing Plots

The following rates apply for the purchase of grave spaces:

$27.00 from the sale of a lot or grave space in the Old Addition, West Addition and Brooks Addition, and $5.50 in the Baby Circle shall be accounted for and used for capital improvements in the cemetery.

Grave Openings or Burials on Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Note: A surcharge is added to grave openings when the ground is frozen to cover the cost for liquid propane (LP) to thaw the ground.  The surcharge will be the cost of the propane plus $10.00 per tank. 

Grave Openings or burials on Saturday, day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve from 8:00 a.m. to noon.

Cemetery

The City maintains two cemeteries. Graceland Cemetery is located on the west edge of Knoxville at the intersection of Pleasant Street and Willetts Drive. Competine Cemetery is located on east Main Street, just across the street from Marion County Concrete.

The City and its residents take a great deal of pride in the beauty and quality of its cemeteries. They are maintained throughout the year, and offer attractive locations for eternal resting places.

Grave decorations

City Policy on Allowable Grave Decorations

For purposes of maintaining a quality and aesthetically pleasing Graceland Cemetery park, the City has established certain parameters for decorations. Between May 15th and July 1st of each year, graves may be decorated with any appropriate, non-offensive decorations. The determination of whether a decoration is appropriate or non-offensive will be made by cemetery personnel.

During all other times of the year, graves may be decorated with a single shepherd’s hook per plot, with one hanging basket containing plants or flowers hanging on each shepherd’s hook. The basket may be replaced with a floral or plant wreath, real or artificial, of an appropriate nature. The determination of whether a decoration is of an appropriate nature will be made by cemetery personnel. No other decorations may be attached to the shepherd’s hooks.The shepherd’s hooks must be placed in the footing of the headstone; the top of the hook shall not be more than 18” above the top of the headstone and must hang over the headstone. The shepherd’s hooks may be placed in the footing by drilling a hole or by installing a PVC pipe in the footing when the footing is installed. Where there is not adequate footing available, an addition may be made on the end of the headstone, immediately adjacent to the existing footing or headstone. The addition may be made as long as it remains on the plot for which the shepherd’s hook is to be used, and only on the end of the headstone. In no case shall an addition be made along the long side of the headstone. The addition will be at least four inches (4”) thick and must be the same width as the existing footing or headstone.

Veteran and organizational markers must also be placed in the headstone footing.

Potted plants must be placed on the headstone footing.

Decorations that do not conform to this policy will be removed and kept for thirty days. Decorations not picked up within thirty days will be thrown away. The City works very hard to maintain the cemetery, manicure the grounds, and keep the park clean. Cooperation with these guidelines will greatly help us, and will please our patrons.