The Memorial Cemetery of Ste. Genevieve is the oldest cemetery in Missouri, with burials dating to the early 18th century. The oldest surviving inscriptions are in French, a reminder that this was once a thoroughly French-speaking community on the western frontier. Walking among the headstones gives a quick lesson in the town's social history — French names give way to American ones over the decades following the Louisiana Purchase.
Notable burials include Senator Lewis F. Linn, one of Missouri's early US Senators and an advocate for the Oregon Territory, and John Scott, Missouri's first Congressman. The cemetery sits on a low rise at the edge of the old town and is freely accessible. It is rarely crowded and takes only 20 minutes to explore on foot.