Denver history: Two researchers forgo royalties to publish 58,000-word cemetery guide

The finished manuscript for “Historic Cemeteries of Denver” came in at 58,000 words, exceeding the publisher’s limit by 8,000. Rather than trim the text further, authors Mark A. Barnhouse and James M. Cavoto Sr. agreed to give up their royalties.

Barnhouse, who has written other titles including “Lost Department Stores of Denver,” partnered with Cavoto in 2018. Cavoto formerly served as vice president of sales for Fairmount Cemetery. The two initially pitched a single-book project on Fairmount to Arcadia Press.

The publisher rejected that first idea because it classified the cemetery as an active business rather than a historic site. Standard policy for operating businesses requires them to pre-purchase seven to 800 copies. Barnhouse noted that Fairmount does not have a gift shop and that cemeteries generally lack the cash flow to support such a bulk purchase.

The authors reworked the concept into a survey covering five major sites: Riverside, Fairmount/Emmanuel, Mount Olivet, Crown Hill, and Fort Logan. They included a full chapter on smaller burial grounds in and near Denver. The revised proposal was accepted by History Press, a subsidiary of Arcadia.

The project ran nearly a year behind schedule. The first draft was almost triple the proposed word count. Barnhouse spent nine months editing the manuscript, a process he described as becoming increasingly draconian. He cut stories about influential figures that he felt would not be relevant to a modern reader.

The final text remained over the assigned limit. The publisher requested additional cuts, but the authors maintained their position on the final length. They offered to print the book at the 58,000-word mark if they could keep the content intact, provided they waived their share of the profits.

Barnhouse called the book a labor of love for both historians. The project grew out of Barnhouse’s membership in the Denver Posse of Westerners, a group that has met monthly since 1945 to research and publish history of the American West. It was through this group that Barnhouse first met Cavoto.

The book includes a photograph of a headstone that marks a cemetery itself rather than a single person. The stone reads, “This is a cemetery,” and lists how lives are commemorated and families are reunited. Barnhouse said he used the image as a way to convey the site’s purpose without consuming word count.

Barnhouse hopes readers will use the book as a physical guide to the locations. He cited the main central drive in Fairmount, known as Millionaire’s Row, which starts at the Ivy Chapel and heads southeast. He wants new visitors to know the stories behind the names they see on the stones.

“Historic Cemeteries of Denver” is available now at West Side Books and other independent retailers.