Interments began in the fall of 1873, many of which were initially reinterments from other older cemeteries.

[1] At an initial meeting of the directors of the association, chaired by Draper Smith, deeds for the cemetery grounds were paid for and accepted from John B. Smith, and Ira and Oliver Davenport, and a committee was appointed to install a fence around the grounds.

[2] In 1994, following decades of neglect, Plymouth's General Federation of Women's Clubs, led by Janice Williams, undertook the task of restoring the once beautiful cemetery.

In 2008, the Shawnee Cemetery Preservation Association took over the work of maintaining the grounds.

The Association's efforts to reclaim several hundred graves from the overgrowth in the outermost sections have facilitated the compilation of historical data, and revealed the borders of the cemetery.