Iowa's unique 'cemetery in the middle of the road' damaged by hit-and-run driver

The Huston Cemetery — also known as "the cemetery in the middle of the road" — was hit by a rogue driver last weekend, damaging at least two headstones. 

West Des Moines police were called to 8800 Mills Civic Parkway around 3:30 a.m. Saturday on reports of a car that had crashed into the chain link fence that surrounds the small family burial site.

The little cemetery, with graves dating back to 1847, has been featured in news articles for its unique location inside a roundabout at the intersection of Mills Civic and 88th Street. The once rural site has become increasingly urban as West Des Moines grows west. 

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Police found the car abandoned at the cemetery, said Sgt. Anthony Giampolo, spokesman for the West Des Moines Police Department. 

A report lists damage to the fence, landscaping and headstones. Police had to cut the fence down to remove the car, Giampolo said.

Photos show at least two headstones were uprooted by the crash. 

Sally Ortgies, director of city's Parks and Recreation Department, said officials have not yet fully assessed the damage. But the city, which owns and maintains the grave site, will make repairs to the property, including any damage to tombstones.

Huston Cemetery is named for James B. Huston, the patriarch of one of the first families to settle in Dallas County. He was the first Dallas County attorney. 

The Huston family home, which still stands nearby, was a stage coach station, tavern, post office and a stop on the Underground Railroad. According to an article on the city's website, the first two people buried there were former slave girls with the last name of Harper who "died on their way to freedom."

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There are 19 headstones, including the graves of several Huston family members. James B. Huston, who died in 1889, is believed to be the last person buried in Huston Cemetery. His wife, Nancy Hill Huston, and six of their children are also buried there. 

Once located in rural Dallas County, the cemetery is now just one mile west of Jordan Creek Town Center, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and Athena USA.

Development in the area has increased traffic, exposing the cemetery to damage. Ortgies said the city has repaired the chain link fence several times since "it's prone to getting hit."

Future plans call for relocating and widening Mills Civic Parkway to six lanes. By moving the road, the cemetery would remain untouched in its original location. It will end up on the southwest corner of the intersection, Ortgies said.

Once the road is complete, the city will invest in an historically accurate replica of the wrought-iron fence that once surrounded Huston Cemetery.

"As long as it's out in the middle like that and it keeps getting hit, we don't want to make that investment," Ortgies said. 

Giampolo said police have not yet found the driver of the vehicle. He or she likely faces several traffic citations, he said.