Mountain Grove, Mo

    Across the street and west of the City Cemetery lies the Swedish Cemetery.  
The Swedish settlement was west of Mountain Grove and included a large number
of immigrant families.  It's hard to believe in our day and age, but there was 
discrimination against these early settlers and they were refused space in the City 
Cemetery to bury their dead.  A Swede by the name of Peter Ecklund purchased 
property across the street and west of the City cemetery and donated it for a 
Swedish Cemetery. One of the descendents of those early pioneers was William 
Lindholm who became president of AT&T and served on the boards of some of the 
largest Corporations in the U.S.  He was a driving influence in the United Way 
organization and served on the national board for many years.  Lindholm graduated 
from Mountain Grove High School in 1932 and attendedthe University of Missouri and 
Alabama University.  He began his career as a lineman for the local electric utility 
and even after becoming successful in business he would come back to Mountain 
Grove and ask to go out with the line crews, just to keep up with the advances being
made in the industry. In the 1990's William Lindholm and another Swedish 
descendent paid to have an archway and sign placed at the entrance to the cemetery.