At the turn of the last century, the property was known as Maxwellton Park and owned by Joseph Maxwell.   In 1911, it was purchased by a group of civic leaders who planned to develop the area into a local club. The original home was converted into a clubhouse and a concrete grandstand was built on the west side around a one-mile racetrack ... with a lake at its center.  

In 1921, a local physician purchased the property, and over the next few years, carefully developed his "lawn park cemetery" into a serene park-like setting with statues and special features surrounded by beautiful gardens. The eastern half of the property was the first to be developed, as the western portion was purchased at a later date.

During the depression, a landscape artist was hired to help design individual gardens throughout the cemetery.  One of his first projects included several terraced gardens situated above a small lake, which sat at the foot of a hill. These plans included an arched footbridge, framed by magnolia trees, to provide visitors easy access to both sides of the lake.