Morris Hill Cemetery

317 N. Latah
Boise, ID 83706 (map)

Online Search for Morris Hill Cemetery Records

HISTORY

Morris Hill Cemetery is one of the oldest and most well known cemeteries in the Treasure Valley. The cemetery began in January of 1882, when Mayor James Pinney spent $2,000 of city funds to purchase the eighty acres on the bench from William H. Ridenbaugh and Mrs. Lavinia I. Morris (a widow). Although he was heavily criticized for purchasing the land, the City of Boise took over operation on March 1, 1882.

Some of the causes of death in our first burial record, beginning in 1882, include snow slide, gunshot, murder, dropsy, consumption, poison, falling tree, falling rock, rickets gathering in the head, bright's disease, La Grippe, and steel car accident.

Since the cemetery was originally platted creating thousands of available lots in 1882, more sections have been added over the years, establishing thousands more. The cemetery currently consists of 70 developed (platted) acres, with 55 sections and a mausoleum with over 32,000 interred.

In the 122 years of operation most of the platted lots have been sold, with slightly more than two thousand remaining for sale (about 5% of the total original 38,700). As of October 1, 2011, monument marker lots (upright markers or flat markers) are $1400.00, flat marker lots (flat markers only) are $800.00 and ash lots (cremations only) are $450.00. When fully occupied, the cemetery will always be full of life, from the green grasses to stately trees, with all sorts of wildlife including families of squirrels and birds to the occasional deer, turkey, or fox.

Please feel free to stop by to visit Morris Hill Cemetery, and take the Morris Hill Cemetery Walking Tour.  You may contact our office if you have questions or if we can assist you with your needs.

The Cemetery Main Office is located at the Parks & Recreation Administration Office
1104 Royal Blvd, Boise, Idaho 83706
Hours: M-F, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
PH: (208) 608-7598 E-mail: cemeteryinfo@cityofboise.org

MONUMENTS

The majority of lots at Morris Hill Cemetery lie from east to west (feet to the east, head to the west). It is customary to place the monuments and markers so that they can be read (facing east) while not standing on the grave of the person who's marker you are reading. Traditionally, couples are "buried as they are married" - husband on the right, wife on the left (facing east).

Because Morris Hill Cemetery is old but still in use, you will see many older stones among the newer ones. The oldest sections are in the north-west corner of the cemetery. When Emerald Street was widened, many of the graves in Section 2 were moved to Section T which is on the south east side of the cemetery.

There are some wonderful monuments exhibiting ceramic pictures of the deceased. By Col. Green's mausoleum in Section E, there is a picture of a bearded gentlemen and his wife who were buried in the early 1900's. In Section 5, there is a memorial monument to a young airman, shot down over Goose Bay during World War II. In Silent Camp, there is a monument to a Civil War veteran, Richard Congdon Ball, his remains were placed there in May of 1922, brought to Boise from Illinois by his grandson.

MORRIS HILL CEMETERY SECTIONS

Ada County Section
At the Emerald/Latah corner of the Cemetery (northeast), this section was set aside for the indigent and the Japanese and Chinese communities.

Ash Garden
Identified as G-Extension, this section is exclusively for the Inurnment of ashes.

Beth Israel
The Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue, built in 1895 and the oldest synagogue west of the Mississippi River, is still used by its original congregation. The Falk brothers, early influential merchants of the community, and Moses Alexander, Mayor of Boise and America's first Jewish Governor (1915-1918) were founders of the congregation. Moses Alexander is buried in this section of Morris Hill.

Elks Rest
Located in sections B and L, this section was used by the Fraternal Order of the Elks.

Mausoleum
Paris Martin began construction of the Mausoleum on September 13, 1937 and it was completed on September 13, 1938. It contains both crypts for burials above ground and niches for ashes.

Military
Morris Hill Cemetery has three sections dedicated to those that have served our country.  These include Silent Camp (Deceased Union Soldiers/Indian Wars and Veterans of Foreign Wars), Field of Honor I (World War Veterans) and Field of Honor II. There are also a number of unknown soldiers buried in Section F, Block 38, Lots 1 thru 8, and 10 thru 12, as well as Block 47, Lots 1 thru 8, who were moved to these graves after flood at Old Fort Boise Cemetery in July of 1909.

Oldest Section
Section 1 at the corner of Roosevelt and Emerald (northwest), is the oldest section in the Cemetery.

Saint Johns
Devoted exclusively to the burial of Catholics, was originally managed by the Archdiocese of Boise. The use, care, supervision and custody of this portion of the cemetery were conveyed back to the City of Boise in 1935.

Islamic
A portion of Section S has been set aside for Boise's Islamic community.

Woodmen of the World
Fraternal organization occupying most of Section D