TOMBSTONE TOURIST: ST. PETER'S & JEFFERSON BARRACKS NAT'L CEMETERY

When I visited St. Louis a few years back, I was able to visit many of the area's historic cemeteries. My visit included the large and well-known CALVARY and BELLEFONTAINE Cemeteries. My final stops in the St. Louis area were at the St. Peter's Cemetery and the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

St. Peter's Cemetery was established in 1855 when 34-acres near the intersection of Lucas & Hunt Roads. Since then, St Peters has expanded to its current 119-acres and is the final resting place of such notables at Baseball Hall of Famer Cool Papa Bell and Tuskegee Airman Wendell O. Pruitt.

A steady rain was falling as I pulled through the gates of St. Peter's and I immediately made my way to the grave site of James Thomas Bell, who is better known as "Cool Papa."

"Cool Papa" Bell was born in Starkville, Mississippi and was regarded as one of the greatest players ever to play the game of baseball.  Cool Papa played in the Negro Leagues from 1922 - 1946 and by all account was one of the fastest players in baseball history. Fellow Negro League teammate Josh Gibson once said that Cool Papa was so fast he could flip the light switch and be in bed before the room got dark.

When his playing days were over,Cool Papa worked as a scout for the old St. Louis Brown and later in life served as a security officer and custodian St. Louis City Hall.  In 1974 he became the 5th Negro League player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. 

Cool Papa Bell suffered a heart attack and died on March 7, 1991 and is resting here in St Peter's Cemetery.

The rain had picked up and was coming down harder by the time I finished my visit to the grave of Cool Papa Bell and I decided to cut my visit short but not before making a quick stop at the grave of famed Tuskegee Airman Wendell O. Pruitt.

Wendell Pruitt was born and raised in St. Louis and during World War II he enlisted in the Army Air Corp.  He was already a licensed pilot and was assigned to the Cadet Flying Program in Tuskegee, Alabama.  He was assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group. The 332nd initially flew P-47 Thunderbolts before switching to the P-51 Mustang.  Known for their distinctive red tails the 332nd became known as the "Tuskegee Airmen."

During the war Captain Pruitt flew 70-combat missions and was credited with three enemy kills.  As a result of his expert flying ability, Captain Pruitt became a flight instructor and returned to Tuskegee. Captain Pruitt was killed along with a student pilot during a training exercise at Tuskegee on April 15, 1945 and was buried here in St. Peter's Cemetery.

It was raining harder and after finishing my visit to Captain Pruitt's grave and I decided to leave the Cemetery and grab some lunch before heading south to the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. 

After a quick lunch, I made my way south of Downtown St. Louis to the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.  By the time I drove through the gates of the National Cemetery the rain had stopped and the sky had cleared.

There were two reasons that I wanted to visit Jefferson Barracks. I wanted to visit the graves of  Jack Buck and Michael Blassie.

My first stop was at the grave of long time St. Louis Cardinal and Major League Baseball announcer Jack Buck. One of the great voices of the game, Jack Buck began is play-by-play career with the Cardinal in 1947, a position he held for almost 47-years.  He is best know for his catch phrase, "That's a Winner," which he would say after every Cardinal Win.

Buck worked the major networks calling both football and baseball, which earned him induction into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  Jack Buck died on June 18, 2002 and is resting here in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

Just a short wake from Jack Buck's grave is the final resting place of Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie. Lieutenant Blassie's remains were originally unidentified and were designated as the
unknown service member from the Vietnam War. His remains lay in state in the rotunda of the United States Capitol before being interred at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery on May 28, 1984. 

On May 14, 1998, his remains were exhumed on May 14, 1998 and as a result of advanced DNA testing he was positively identified. At the request of his family the remains of Lieutenant Blassie were reinterred at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on July 10, 1998.

After spending some additional time visiting the graves of several Medal of Honor recipients, it was time to head back to my hotel and prepare to continue my adventure and move on to Kansas City.

Here is a short video documenting my visit to St. Peter's and Jefferson Barracks.