Melissa Cemetery has served as the primary burial ground for members of the Melissa community for generations. Its origins are tied to the pioneer Sherley/Shirley family, though the exact founding date is unknown. The oldest graves are those of William M. Sherley, who died in 1856, Lewis Sherley, who died in 1867, and Albert Shirley, who died in 1879. They may first have been buried in a family cemetery on the nearby farm of Lewis Sherley and later moved here when Melissa Cemetery was formally established in 1889. The Sherley Family Cemetery also contained the graves of a number of family slaves, and that site became nearby St. Paul Cemetery. A number of Melissa residents were buried here before the cemetery was officially designated a public burial ground in 1889. Local tradition holds that a railroad worker who died in 1872 lies here in an unmarked grave. Many pioneer residents of Melissa are buried here, including Confederate Captain Thomas M. Scott and veterans of the Mexican War, Civil War, World War I, and World War II. The Melissa Cemetery Association cares for the historic graveyard.