Niwot’s Cemetery Association: New Members Needed to Continue the Legacy

It was over a quarter of a century ago that JoAnn Bell and Nancy Hindman joined the Niwot Cemetery Association. At that time there were around a dozen people in the group. But now Bell and Hindman, both in their mid-eighties, are the only remaining participants on the association’s board of directors, and they’re asking for more folks to join them in preserving the cemetery located just west of 73 rd St. on Nimbus Rd.

Described as a pioneer-style cemetery, Niwot Cemetery dates back to the late 1880s. The metal arch above the entry to the cemetery reads the year 1874, 143 years ago and one year before the town was platted, as the founding year. There is a single tombstone reading that same year. But it was in 1881, the year Hindman’s great grandfather, Jerome Gould, donated the 1.74 acre parcel to Niwot for the purpose of laying to rest its residents, when the cemetery formally became a public burial ground.

The story of the cemetery’s beginning, as explained by Hindman, is that at only 13 years old, Gould’s son Ernest had died from appendicitis. The nearest cemetery was in Longmont, so Ernest was originally buried there. But his mother, Amy Gould, was so distraught over him being far away, that the casket was dug up and moved to a gentle knoll on their family land. This prompted the Goulds to convey that parcel to “the town of Niwot and the inhabitants of the vicinity thereof” for other burials.

Now officially a state of Colorado historical site, this hallowed ground has no more plots for sale. Caring for the graveyard mostly means making sure the American flag continues to fly, the grounds get mowed two or three times a year, trash and weeds are removed (there’s an annual cleanup day), and that, when a person who is the owner of one of the plots passes, their resting place is measured and marked for burial in the proper space.

Bell and Hindman were born and raised in Niwot. Bell’s involvement with the association began when she would drive her sister to meetings. Bell said, “At first, I just listened, until over time, I took on more.” Around the same time, Hindman was asked to join because, similar to today’s situation, there was a need for younger people to step up. These days, association meetings are held over a cup of coffee or on the phone, with just the two of them. Being called upon by mortuaries to mark a grave site is infrequent, with the most recent burial being last spring.

Surrounded by open space on three sides, with a view of the foothills, there’s a reverent simplicity to the cemetery. “In the springtime, it’s absolutely gorgeous with all of the tulips coming up” Hindman said. Headstones range from a few stoic engraved marble tombstones to rough hand-etched flagstones, to small unmarked wood crosses.

Some of Niwot’s most famous and beloved residents are buried there and it’s also the final resting place for some migrant workers and their children. Each year, for Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day, the graves of 13 vets who served in the Civil War, WWI, WWII, the Korean War and Vietnam War are honored by being marked with small flags.

Both Bell and Hindman are intending to stay on board, but they feel it’s time to phase in more people. They’re reaching out to all of the community and in particular to the Niwot Community Association, Niwot Rotary, Niwot Historical Society, Niwot Cultural Arts Association, and the Niwot Business Association, with the hopes that members from those organizations will cross over into the cemetery association to help manage it.