Mount Hope Cemetery has been owned and operated by the City of Independence since 1870. The eighty-six acre cemetery with winding avenues and peaceful groves serves as the final resting place for more than twenty-one thousand citizens - perhaps most notable being world famous playwright and native son, William Inge. Two stately mausoleums greet visitors at the south gates and a beautiful Depression era limestone wall surrounds the remaining five sections: Old Mount Hope, New Mount Hope, Lutheran, Catholic, and Baby Mound. Cemetery Sexton, Jim Bennett, and crew view the cemetery as a monument to our community and take great pride in carefully maintaining the grounds and attending to the needs of loved ones past and present.