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Sarah Elizabeth Hart Davis Famous memorial

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Birth	:	28 Nov 1860
Death	:	3 Dec 1930
Burial	:	Mount Hope Cemetery, Hiawatha, Brown County, USA
Coordinate	:	39.8497009, -95.5156021
Description	:	American Folk Figure. Her elaborate gravesite is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is visited by 20,000-30,000 people annually. It has been featured in "Life", "Newsweek", and "People" magazines, and also on the "Ripley's Believe It or Not" television show. John Milburn Davis was born in Kentucky, and came to Brown County Kansas in 1878. He met and married his wife Sarah there in Brown County, where they farmed 260 acres. They had no children and lived a frugal life together. John and Sarah moved into Hiawatha Kansas in 1915. John had wounded his hand, and went... Read More	American Folk Figure. Her elaborate gravesite is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is visited by 20,000-30,000 people annually. It has been featured in "Life", "Newsweek", and "People" magazines, and also on the "Ripley's Believe It or Not" television show. John Milburn Davis was born in Kentucky, and came to Brown County Kansas in 1878. He met and married his wife Sarah there in Brown County, where they farmed 260 acres. They had no children and lived a frugal life together. John and Sarah moved into Hiawatha Kansas in 1915. John had wounded his hand, and went to a doctor and got the wound cleaned and taken care of. An infection developed causing the loss of the hand. Sarah died in 1930, and John suddenly became a big spender, giving away tens of thousands of dollars, a few hundred at a time, to the needy. The city of Hiawatha, Kansas hoped John would help build a new hospital for the town, but John refused. The town also hoped he would help build a new swimming pool, but this he also declined. He also had the simple 'Davis" marker removed from Sarah's gravesite, and began building a memorial for her. It began with pillars that supported a 105,000 pound canopy. During the next few years, 10 lifesize marble statues depicting John and Sarah Davis at various ages were installed. A final 11th piece in granite shows John seated in a chair, with an empty chair beside him that bears the inscription "The Vacant Chair". Davis often visited the gravesite, and often spoke to visitors about it. On one such visit, he saw a visitor sitting in "The Vacant Chair". Angered by this, he had a wall erected around the gravesite. Reporter Ernie Pyle, who later won a Pulitzer prize for his work, interviewed John Davis in the late 1930s. Davis told Pyle he was unmoved by the towns appeals. When John Davis died in 1947, few attended his funeral. The towns people apparently never forgave him for building this elaborate memorial instead of building the town a hospital or swimming pool. But the town of 3,600 has received the benefit of all the tourist dollars spent for many years now.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Sarah Elizabeth Hart Davis Famous memorial's memorial?
Sarah Elizabeth Hart Davis Famous memorial's memorial is located at: Mount Hope Cemetery, Hiawatha, Brown County, USA.
When did Sarah Elizabeth Hart Davis Famous memorial death?
Sarah Elizabeth Hart Davis Famous memorial death on 3 Dec 1930 in
Where are the coordinates of the Sarah Elizabeth Hart Davis Famous memorial's memorial?
Latitude: 39.8497009
Longitude: -95.5156021

Family Members:

Parent

Thomas J. Hart

(1826 - 1895)

Nancy Jane Gillispie Hart

(1827 - 1906)

Spouse

John Milburn Davis Famous memorial

(1855 - 1947)

Siblings

Thomas J. Hart Jr.

(1850 - 1917)

Mary Jane Hart Stewart

(1852 - 1919)

(1855 - 1925)

(1858 - 1919)

(1863 - 1864)

(1865 - 1919)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Mount Hope Cemetery
Hiawatha, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.8497009, -95.5156021

2. Hiawatha Cemetery
Hiawatha, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.8601799, -95.5265198

3. Bemis Cemetery
Hiawatha, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.8194900, -95.5668300

4. Claytonville Cemetery
Horton, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.7766991, -95.5046997

5. Niles Cemetery
Hiawatha, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.8730900, -95.6126300

6. Ununda Cemetery
Robinson, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.8582993, -95.4143982

7. Oakland Cemetery
Padonia, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9273900, -95.5610900

8. Rose Hill Cemetery
Robinson, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.8097000, -95.4139023

9. Shelton Cemetery
Hamlin, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.8852997, -95.6393967

10. Hart Cemetery
Reserve, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9519005, -95.5366974

11. Carson Cemetery
Hamlin, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.8810200, -95.6483100

12. Madison Cemetery
Robinson, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.7717700, -95.4201700

13. Kenyon Cemetery
Robinson, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9122000, -95.3964600

14. Hamlin Cemetery
Hamlin, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9206009, -95.6292877

15. Pleasant Hill Cemetery
Irving Township, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9435997, -95.4328232

16. Powhattan Cemetery
Powhattan, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.7681007, -95.6288986

17. Pleasant Hill Cemetery
Fairview, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.8411800, -95.6716400

18. Saint Paul Lutheran Cemetery
Fairview, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.8559700, -95.6779700

19. Upper Wolf Lutheran Cemetery
Robinson, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.7690010, -95.3893509

20. Cornelison Cemetery
Reserve, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9754105, -95.5485687

21. Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.7928009, -95.3654022

22. Laus Creek Cemetery
Reserve, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9754105, -95.4699936

23. Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
Fairview, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.8559700, -95.6858500

24. Carr Cemetery
Everest, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 39.7254600, -95.4521600