Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
PAUPERS' FIELD
PAUPERS' FIELD. Found in most cemeteries was a section of land reserved for the poor who generally did not have the money to purchase a plot or even a casket. Single graves were referred to as "potter's graves", a term which began in biblical times. The high priests of Jerusalem purchased land for the burial of strangers or strangers, criminals, and the poor. This land had generally been mined for its potters' clay leaving it unusable for farming.
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Source:
Mary Christopher and Rowley, Mike, Woodland Cemetery in Des Moines--A History, The History Press, Des Moines, 2024, p. 32
