"I didn't know it was a grave," said Cosby, a former mayor of Willard.

Ironically, that pile of hand-hewn stones marked the burial site of John Looney, a distant relative.

It also marked the resting place of Looney's slaves.

On Saturday, Looney's burial ground will be designated a Greene County Historic Site, the first such recognition for a burial plot.

Looney established a farm northwest of the future town of Willard in 1831 and died in 1839. He was one of the earliest pioneers to settle in what would become Greene County.

In later years, as Cosby worked to restore the grave site, he unearthed even more of his relative's past.

Greene County Historical Society researchers now know they mark the graves of slaves that Looney owned.

Flanked by tall trees at the edge of a cornfield, the graves tell the story of a different era, decades before the Civil War put an end to slavery.

"I don't believe we know of another single gravesite as early and historic as this," said Louise Jackson, chairwoman of the Greene County Historic Sites Board. "It was clearly marked and has been carefully maintained by the family."

Jackie Warfel, a Historic Sites Board researcher, said John Looney gave his last name to the slaves he owned.

The Looney name — both black and white — flowed through Springfield history through their descendants.

Relatives from both lineages plan to attend Saturday's ceremony, many arriving from out of state.

Looney, who homesteaded 160 acres northwest of Willard in 1831, owned eight slaves at the time of his death.

Their names and property value — Peter ($850), Henry ($800), James ($750), Lot ($550), Lige ($450), Carey ($325), Haner ($125), Carline ($125) — were noted in a handwritten accounting of his estate.

Warfels said Looney family members bought the slaves after John's death and later emancipated them.

"You have to remember this was a time when owning slaves was common," she said. "Slaves sold for $800 to $900 and land went for $1.25 an acre. A landowner's wealth was in his slaves."

Warfel said she hopes publicity about the historic site may help identify all who were laid to rest there.

"We don't know the names of the two that were buried here," Warfel said. "We think there are five graves, but only two have been found."

Father Moses Berry, curator of Ozarks Afro-American Heritage Museum in Ash Grove, and Denny Whayne, a Springfield city councilman, plan to attend Saturday's ceremony.

Both trace their lineage to John Looney's slaves.

"Someone asked me recently if it was odd that slaves were buried in the same area as their master," Berry said. "To me, it shows relationship. People back then worked together no matter what hardships they faced. They lived together, died together. History is not flat — it has all kinds of dimensions."

Berry said it's wrong to think the close proximity of the graves indicated the master was a benevolent slave owner.

"The institution of slavery itself is contrary to benevolence," Berry said. "Was he a benevolent slave owner? That's an oxymoron. A loving slave owner? Perhaps."

Whayne applauded marking the graves as a historic site.

"It's historic because there hasn't been any knowledge to these graves until now," Whayne said. "History can be exciting. The more you research the more you find. This state was a slave state, but a lot of people may not know that."

Springfieldians Ralph and Evelyn Looney have reams of information about John Looney — Ralph's great-great-great-great grandfather.

Evelyn Looney said the stories of many Greene County pioneer families already have been told.

"I think it's great that the Looney story is being told," she said. "I think it's especially important for people in Willard to know how their area got its start."

Cosby, who restored the grave site, said he remembers climbing through the old, two-story log home that John Looney built at the site that's now a dairy farm.

"I stayed all night in that house many a time," he recalled. "It had little slots cut in the sides that were gun ports. John wasn't sure if the Indians were friendly."

The log home decayed over the years and eventually was torn down in the 1970s.

The only evidence of John Looney's presence today is his grave, and those of his slaves.

"These were the first people that walked on this land, except for the Native Americans," Warfel said. "This site could could have easily been bulldozed over. A lot of them have been."

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