Entry No. 20 — the Des Moines file — filed under: cemetery
Woodland Cemetery — City Receiving Vault & Baby Hill
Des Moines' oldest cemetery, established in 1848 on land donated by five farmers, holds more than 80,000 graves on 65+ acres. Its 1880s City Receiving Vault was built to store bodies through winter when the ground was too frozen to dig — corpses waited there until spring, a practice that lasted until around 1910. Nearby 'Baby Hill' holds hundreds of children's graves that went unmarked for over a century until a 2017 marker project. Parks & Rec maintains QR-code grave markers that tell the stories of the city's earliest residents.
The move: Wander the oldest rows at dusk and find the City Receiving Vault, then scan the QR-code markers to read the dead's stories aloud to each other on the way up to Baby Hill.
📍 Before you go The cemetery sits at the corner of 20th Street and Woodland Avenue in the Sherman Hill / Woodland Heights area, just west of downtown; the stone-pillared main gate opens off Woodland Avenue, and winding interior roads let you drive or walk between sections. Come in daylight — it is an active municipal burying ground, so gates close around dark, services may be underway, and quiet respect is expected despite the spooky framing. The grounds are hilly, so dry-weather footing is easier; the oldest, most atmospheric rows cluster near the original 1848 land. Afterward, the Victorian mansions of the Sherman Hill historic district are a short walk away.
- 📍 Sherman Hill / Woodland Heights
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 2019 Woodland Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312
Hours: Public municipal cemetery, generally open daylight hours. Self-guided QR-code tour available year-round; check Des Moines Parks & Rec for any scheduled guided cemetery tours.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · Axios
last checked: 2026-06-06