By
Ronald Downing
In 1795, the Baron de Bastrop received a land grant from King Charles IV of Spain. A
portion of the land containing one hundred and fifty-four arpents was purchased in 1827 by
Lemuel Newman and his wife, the former Phinetta B. Wooten. Continuing to acquire land
for their plantation, the Newmans , in 1830, dedicated a portion on the west end of their
property for a cemetery, which was used by the towns of Trenton and Cotton Port as well as
by the plantation.
In 1848, Mr. and Mrs. Newman donated a tract of land, including the cemetery, with one acre
fronting on Arkansas Road and two and one-half acres in depth, to Bayou Bartholomew Baptist
Church. Lemuel Newman's brother, the Reverend Jonathan Newman, accepted the donation for
the church to promote the cause of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
After Lemuel Newman's death in 1851, Mrs. Newman later married David Hasley in 1853. At
that time, the church and cemetery assumed the Hasley name. In 1872, throught the efforts of the
Reverend John A. McGuire, the Monroe Baptist Church merged with Hasley Baptist Church on
the north end of the cemetery. The church remained there until it was moved in 1959 to Short
Jackson Street.
Phinetta B. Hasley was also the benefactress of Trenton Baptist Church in 1866 and Monroe's
First Baptist Church in 1877. Each church displays a memorial to Mrs. Hasley. After the death
of Mrs. Hasley in 1878, Major Thomas McGuire purchased the Hasley Plantation in 1879. His
son, Herman M. McGuire, donated all of the property in 1917 and dedicated it to the use of the
public for a cemetery by David Hasley and Phinetta B. Hasley consisting of eight and one-tenth
acres to the City of West Monroe. This act of donation was made in order to perpetuate and
safeguard the dedication of Mr. and Mrs. Hasley to the public and on condition that it shall be
forever used as a cemetery.
The final acquisition was made that same year by the city from Mr. McGuire for the west end
of the cemetery for the sum of $500.00. This token payment was made in appreciation for Mr.
McGuire's generosity to the City of West Monroe.
The Hasley Memorial Gazebo occupies the site of Hasley Baptist Church which became extinct around 1900. The Hasley Cemetery is one of few in our area that is maintained by a perpetual trust governed by the Board of Aldermen.
Mrs. Phinetta Brown Hasley and the Hasley Baptist Church
HASLEY, KING, CHAIN FAMILY PAGE
OLD PICTURES of MONROE/WEST MONROE, LA: MY HOMETOWN
