Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum

11/21/2025

𝐀 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬... 🍁☔

Even when the skies are gray, the serene beauty of Bellefontaine shines through. You can 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟖:𝟎𝟎 𝐚.𝐦. 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝟒:𝟑𝟎 𝐩.𝐦., 𝟑𝟔𝟓 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 (𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫).

Take a self-guided tour to experience the peace and beautiful horticulture of our grounds.

𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬. 🍂❄️🌧️🌿
𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫! ➡️ 𝐡𝐭𝐭𝐩𝐬://𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲.𝐨𝐫𝐠/𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞/𝐬𝐨𝐜/

11/21/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐦 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐲!

Thank you for joining us for our recent, first-ever Arboretum Fall Field Day. We gave away nearly 200 native trees to our registrants attending the educational event! Guests enjoyed several available tours of the Arboretum’s majestic tree collection, as well as sharing tree stories and asking all their tree-related questions of our many vendors, such as the Missouri Department of Conservation, Saint Louis City Forestry, and the Missouri Botanical Garden. Make sure to join us next October for our second annual Arboretum Fall Field Day!

𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 to get more info and exciting updates about future horticulture events planned for 2026!
📧 https://bellefontainecemetery.org/horticulture-soc/

11/21/2025

At Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum, we pride ourselves on carrying out the wishes for you and your loved ones to perfection. While we offer a wide variety of burial options such as green burial and cremation, we recognize that traditional burial is still a time-honored option for some families. We have offerings available throughout our 314 acres for traditional burials with or without vaults, except for Evergreen Meadow, designed exclusively for natural burials. Space with pre-installed vaults is available in a lovely botanical setting, Wildwood Valley. Single grave spaces and family lots are available throughout our grounds. Mausoleums are still built today for people seeking a family burial space.

Beautiful in all seasons, Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum is a non-profit open to all who choose to make our Cemetery their final resting place. We have the expertise and compassion needed to ensure your wishes are flawlessly carried out.
Since our founding in 1849, more than 87,000 interments have occurred on our 314 beautifully-maintained acres. With nearly 10,000 trees and woody plant species, the grounds and expansive gardens offer a park-like setting for families and visitors to enjoy while paying tribute to loved ones.

We continue to provide burial services as envisioned by our founders but in tune with today's societal needs and wishes.

If you would like to learn more about burial options and other services offered at Bellefontaine Cemetery, please contact Gracie or Rick, at 314-381-0750 or visit https://bellefontainecemetery.org/burial-options-soc/.

11/21/2025

𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐙𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝟏𝟗𝟎𝟒 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝’𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫
𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟑, 𝟕:𝟎𝟎 𝐩.𝐦. – 𝟖:𝟑𝟎 𝐩.𝐦.

Over 120 years ago, St. Louis welcomed 20 million visitors to the Grandest of World’s Fairs from April 30 through December 1, 1904. David R. Francis, President of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, was vital in securing this event for the City of St. Louis. All eyes turned to St. Louis as the new century was on display in the Fair’s larger-than-life palaces, and new technology was front and center throughout the Fair Grounds.

In our presentation, we will identify and explain some of the key figures in the creation and ex*****on of the 1904 World’s Fair. Those who are featured in these presentations are forever at rest at Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum.

Make it a date night or family night, or watch the presentation by yourself.

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝘀𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆!
➡️ https://bellefontainecemetery.org/event/1904-worlds-fair-zoom-120325/

Our Zoom video presentations are free; however, donations to the Friends of Bellefontaine are gratefully accepted.

𝗧𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲:
📞 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲: 314-381-0750
🌐 𝗪𝗘𝗕𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗘: https://51295.blackbaudhosting.com/51295/Friends-Gift
✅ 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗠𝗢:
🔵 𝗣𝗔𝗬𝗣𝗔𝗟: donations@bcastl.org

Other events will be announced soon. If you’d like more information about upcoming virtual or in-person events, please sign up for email newsletters to get advance notice.
📧 https://bellefontainecemetery.org/tours-soc/.

11/19/2025

We have proudly served the St Louis region and beyond as a cemetery since 1849. Did you know, however, that Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum has also served as a limited licensed funeral establishment since 2015?

As a limited licensed funeral home, Bellefontaine can provide all necessary services for those who choose conventional cremation, flameless cremation, or green burial. In other words, Bellefontaine can handle everything at your time of need, including transport, caring for the deceased, and, of course, burial services.

Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum is a non-profit Cemetery open to all who choose to make our Cemetery their final resting place. We have the expertise and compassion needed to ensure your wishes are flawlessly carried out. Since our founding in 1849, more than 87,000 interments have occurred on our 314 beautifully-maintained acres. With close to 10,000 trees and woody plant species, the grounds and expansive gardens offer a park-like setting for families and visitors to enjoy while paying tribute to loved ones. We continue to provide burial services as envisioned by our founders but in tune with today's societal needs and wishes.

We appreciate the opportunity to serve our families and hope you will consider Bellefontaine Cemetery should you require our services. For further information about funeral services, burial options, and other services offered at Bellefontaine Cemetery, please contact Gracie or Rick at 314-381-0750 or visit https://bellefontainecemetery.org/funeral-services-soc/ to download our brochure and request information online.

11/18/2025

𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓
𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩. 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞. 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐱.
Take a moment for quiet focus and simply look up.

Today, we’re capturing the beauty of the day: the sky is a brilliant blue above the serene angel statue, and the colorful canopy of leaves flutters gently in the breeze. Allow this peaceful view to be your quick, calming escape and reset.

We invite you to find your own moment of reflection on our historic grounds through a self-guided tour by car, on foot, or by bicycle. The Cemetery is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., year-round (except for severe weather closures).

𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁
Find visitor information and sign up for our newsletter here:
https://bellefontainecemetery.org/tours-soc/

11/17/2025

The desire to keep the memory of our loved ones alive is a deep and tender part of the human heart. For centuries, monuments and markers have served as tangible links to those who have shaped our lives, their stories told through carefully chosen words, dates, and meaningful symbols.

At Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum, we consider it a privilege to be a part of this enduring tradition. For over 175 years, we've been honored to help families throughout St. Louis and beyond create lasting tributes to those they hold dear. We partner with skilled artisans to ensure every memorial, whether matching a historic marker or a completely unique design, beautifully reflects the life it honors. Our diverse offerings include everything from classic gravestones and impressive family monuments to peaceful benches, inspiring sculptures, and refined wall engravings.

If you're navigating the delicate process of honoring a recently departed loved one, wish to celebrate the memory of an ancestor, or are considering your own future arrangements, please know that we are here to offer our support and guidance.

Discover the many ways you can create a lasting memorial at Bellefontaine by visiting our website. https://bellefontainecemetery.org/monuments-and-markers-soc/

For a personal conversation and to explore your options further, please don't hesitate to contact Gracie or Rick at our Cemetery office. You can reach them by calling 314-381-0750 to arrange a time to speak. We're here to listen with understanding and help you create a tribute that truly honors your loved one.

11/17/2025

🌳✂️ 𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦: 𝗣𝗥𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗛𝗥𝗨𝗕𝗦 ✂️🌳

Get ready to dig in and learn! Join us at Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum for this highly practical winter topic: our Pruning Trees and Shrubs Class! This hands-on educational offering is taught by staff members of the Arboretum’s horticulture team and will cover techniques essential for winter tree care.

Join our Director of Horticulture, James Faupel, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for an indoor presentation to introduce you to pruning basics and tool care. We will then head out onto the Arboretum grounds to explore St. Louis’s most diverse tree collection. It may be cold, but winter is the absolute best time of year to prune most of your dormant trees and shrubs. Don’t forget to bring your favorite set of hand pruners, as well as your plant photography and note-taking gear! Quality educational pruning offerings around the St. Louis area are rare, so make sure you sign up quickly!

The class is free to attend, though a suggested donation of $15 per person is greatly appreciated to support the Arboretum's work. Space is limited, and registration is required to secure your spot.

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝘀𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆!
➡️ https://bellefontainecemetery.org/event/horticulture-class-011326/

𝗧𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲:
📞 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲: 314-381-0750
🌐 𝗪𝗘𝗕𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗘: https://51295.blackbaudhosting.com/51295/Friends-Gift
✅ 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗠𝗢:
🔵 𝗣𝗔𝗬𝗣𝗔𝗟: donations@bcastl.org

Other events will be announced soon. If you’d like more information about upcoming virtual or in-person events, please sign up for email newsletters to get advance notice.
📧 https://bellefontainecemetery.org/tours-soc/.

11/15/2025

Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum's natural burial option is eco-friendly and provides a meaningful experience for families and loved ones. Natural burial is interment without chemical embalming (we use refrigeration instead), in a biodegradable container, with the goal of returning the body to the earth as expeditiously as possible. Bellefontaine allows natural burial all throughout the Cemetery grounds and can also provide all funeral-related services associated with this eco-friendly option.

Those who choose natural burial often do so for the environmental benefits. Many are then surprised at the intimacy and beauty often associated with the process. Choosing this option offers families the opportunity to participate throughout the burial. From assisting with lowering the body to blanketing the deceased with greens and flowers, there are various opportunities to honor a loved one in meaningful ways.

For more information about natural burial, please contact Bellefontaine advisors, Gracie or Rick, at (314) 381-0750, or visit our website: https://bellefontainecemetery.org/ecoburial-soc/

11/15/2025

As part of our volunteer services, Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum (BCA) assists with genealogy and family history searches of our Cemetery records. You may discover you have rights of interment at Bellefontaine Cemetery.

To learn more, please contact Dan, BCA Cemetery Chronicler, at 314-381-0750, or online at https://bellefontainecemetery.org/genealogy-soc/.

11/13/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫-𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: 𝐀𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum offers Aquamation. This cremation option—also known as flameless cremation and alkaline hydrolysis—offers many of the environmental benefits of a full natural burial, with the flexibility of traditional cremation.

The process uses water instead of flame, expending 85% less energy than traditional cremation. Using a combination of gentle water flow, ordinary salts, and gravity, Aquamation accelerates the natural breakdown of the body. When the process is complete, mineral bone cremated remains—like those from a flame-based cremation—are ready for inurnment or burial.

This gentle process mirrors what naturally happens after a natural burial, but occurs in a period of 12–14 hours instead of several years.

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲

Choosing Aquamation is not the end of the planning process. Where will your remains rest? While many people want to return cremated remains to nature, it’s important to know that scattering of cremated remains can be harmful to the environment and may be illegal in many public places.

Bellefontaine Cemetery offers several beautiful resting places for cremated remains, from our Hotchkiss Chapel Columbarium or Lakeside Columbarium to traditional burial or in-ground scattering amongst our serene gardens. Cremated remains may be interred at any site that is available for traditional burial. In addition, niches for placing urns with cremated remains are available at our open-air Lakeside Columbarium or in the simple elegance of the Hotchkiss Chapel. Finally, there are gardens available for cremation burial in Wildwood Valley, located near our lakes and the stream that runs between them.

Wherever you choose as your final resting place, make it a beautiful and memorable place. You deserve to be remembered for generations to come.

For more information about this cremation option, please contact Bellefontaine advisors, Gracie or Rick, at 314-381-0750, or visit us online.

🌐 𝐡𝐭𝐭𝐩𝐬://𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲.𝐨𝐫𝐠/𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬-𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐬𝐨𝐜/

11/12/2025