Linwood Cemetery Asso. v. Commissioner

87 T.C. No. 78, 87 T.C. 1314, 1986 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 8
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedDecember 17, 1986
DocketDocket No. 3093-86X
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 87 T.C. No. 78 (Linwood Cemetery Asso. v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Linwood Cemetery Asso. v. Commissioner, 87 T.C. No. 78, 87 T.C. 1314, 1986 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 8 (tax 1986).

Opinion

OPINION

RAUM, Judge:

The Commissioner determined that petitioner does not qualify for exemption from income taxation as an organization described in section 501(c)(3), I.R.C. 1954. Petitioner has invoked the jurisdiction of this Court to obtain a declaratory judgment as to its exempt status under section 501(c)(3). 1 The question presented is whether petitioner is operated exclusively for charitable purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3), I.R.C. 1954.

The case was submitted on the basis of the stipulated administrative record, which is incorporated herein by reference. The factual representations in the administrative record are accepted as true. Rule 217(b), Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.

The Linwood Cemetery Association (hereinafter petitioner, Linwood, or the association) is an Iowa nonprofit corporation with its office located in Dubuque, Iowa. It was originally incorporated on August 25, 1875. It filed restated articles of incorporation on November 19, 1976, when it elected to “voluntarily adopt the provisions of the Iowa Nonprofit Corporation Act.” The association was granted tax-exempt status on April 10, 1942, under the predecessor of section 501(c)(13), I.R.C. 1954. Its status under section 501(c)(13) is not now at issue.2 Petitioner filed with the Internal Revenue Service a Form 1023 “Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3)” dated March 9, 1984.3 The Commissioner issued a final adverse determination on December 30, 1985. The petition for declaratory judgment (exempt organization) was filed with this Court on February 3, 1986.

Linwood Cemetery Association was founded in 1875 in order to deal with the problem of the unsatisfactory state of the burial grounds existing at that time in Dubuque, Iowa (the city or Dubuque). By the time the association was founded, the city had established a cemetery on the present site of the Linwood Cemetery, a site removed from the city. This cemetery replaced one located in the center of town that had fallen into disrepair and became the scene of street arguments and “disrespect of the dead”. Under the city’s care, the cemetery that had been established on the Linwood site in turn fell into disrepair. It became overgrown with brush, weeds, briers, and bramble. There were no suitable pathways through it and monuments were hidden from view.

The Linwood Cemetery Association was founded by 19 prominent citizens of Dubuque who raised $60,000 in stock subscriptions from 113 investors. They incorporated the association and “pushed the City Council to [hold] a citywide vote in October, 1875,” on the issue of the management of Linwood Cemetery. The result of that vote, held on October 1, 1875, was that “the legal and certified voters of the City of Dubuque did * * * by a majority of all the votes cast, vote in favor of selling the lands owned by the City used and known as Linwood Cemetery” to the association. The vote was 697 for and 308 against such sale.

The cemetery property extending over some 39 acres was sold by the city to the association by deed dated October 7, 1875. As consideration for the sale, the city received “One Dollar” and imposed on the association the “covenants and conditions” set out in the deed. Relevant portions of the conditions of the sale found in the deed are as follows:

1st The Conveyance is made subject to all lots that have already been conveyed in said premises.
2d The said Grantees herein agree and bind themselves to take charge in place of the City of the entire Cemetery conveyed, to keep the same in proper order and condition; to keep down weeds brush, and brambles on all unsold ground; to furnish Sexton; to keep up and maintain a proper fence around the Cemetery grounds with the necessary gates for ingress and egress * * * .
3rd As to the Potters field, * * * the Grantees herein agree to retain the same for the same purpose, or to furnish elsewhere in the old cemetery, or on the land bought by the Grantees for the New Cemetery, an equal amount of land for said Potters field and at such time as more land may be required for a Potters field the said Grantees agree to furnish the same to the Cemetery free of charge, or at some other proper location convenient to the City and satisfactory to the City Council. And no cost or expense shall be charged to the City for digging a grave for or taking charge of the burial of any corpse in the said Potters field.
4th The Lots already sold in the lands hereby conveyed are in no wise to be disturbed or interfered with by the Grantees except by the consent of such lot owners, and the Grantees agree to take as good care of the said lots now sold as the City has heretofore done * * * .
5th No change of grade shall be made upon any avenue, road or alley of said present Cemetery where any lots have been sold and interments made therein abutting thereon, except by consent of at least two thirds (2/3) of such lot owners * * * .
6th The City agrees to grant to the Grantees the privilege of laying out additional Cemetery Grounds immediately North and East of the present Cemetery not exceeding three hundred acres of land. The prices which Grantees may charge for digging graves shall be Cincinnati Schedule prices: provided that for digging and enclosing an ordinary grave without walling or planking no more than three dollars shall be charged.
7th The Grantees agree to sell lots in the Cemetery as follows: l/20th of the lots at a rate of not over ten cents per square surface foot and l/20th at a rate not over twenty cents per square surface foot and any land that may be added by the Grantees to the Cemetery land conveyed lots shall be sold 1/20 at ten and l/20th at not over twenty cents per square surface foot.
8th The public to have the privilege of going into the Cemetery at all reasonable hours subject to such reasonable rules and regulations as the Grantees may adopt but never, however, to be charged any entrance fee.
9th The Grantees shall provide a Sexton who shall be present at all burials and assist at the same without expense to lot owners. He shall keep a record of all burials with the name and age of the deceased if known and also of the disease that caused the death if known. * * *

The deed further provided that “Any intentional failure on the part of the Grantees to substantially perform and carry out the foregoing conditions shall work a forfeiture of this conveyance to the City of Dubuque with all improvements made thereon”. There is no longer a city-run cemetery in Dubuque, Iowa.

Relying on the circumstances of its origin and the covenants and conditions contained in the above deed, Linwood considers itself to be “an outgrowth of the City of Dubuque”.

The cemetery run by Linwood is a fully operational cemetery, which conducts an average of 150 burials per year and is located on approximately 140 acres of property, substantially in excess of the 39 acres on which the cemetery was operated when it was conveyed to the association in 1875.

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Linwood Cemetery Asso. v. Commissioner
87 T.C. No. 78 (U.S. Tax Court, 1986)

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Bluebook (online)
87 T.C. No. 78, 87 T.C. 1314, 1986 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 8, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/linwood-cemetery-asso-v-commissioner-tax-1986.