Tucked away in a copse of scrub oak in the Greenland Open Space is a solitary gravesite, surrounded by an imposing wrought-iron fence, sitting right off the side of Kipps Loop, a trail wandered by hikers and cyclists alike.
This is what remains of the old Palmer Lake Cemetery, also known as Greenmont Cemetery – the final resting place for residents of the town of Palmer Lake, a couple of miles to the southwest. Dedicated in October 1889 and used as an active cemetery for decades, most of the graves here were eventually moved a few miles south to Monument Cemetery on Beacon Lite Road in the 1920s – the old Palmer Lake Cemetery was simply more remote and difficult to get to, so it fell out of use.
At least one resident’s remains…remain here at Greenmont, however. The beautiful granite monument to one Edward Thomas Kipps still stands on the ridge overlooking a wide, rolling field. A native of London and a leather merchant, the “beloved husband of Louisa Kipps” was felled by tuberculosis at the age of 28. “He is not dead but sleepeth,” the inscription states.
Although it is rumored that at least half a dozen more unmarked graves still exist here (and perhaps one or two marked graves that have been slowly consumed by the foliage), only dear Edward still has an obvious gravesite to admire – the last man standing, representing the final chapter of one of Colorado’s many old pioneer cemeteries. The trail running near his final resting place is named for him.