Human skeleton found

The history of Cedar Rapids has centered around the log cabin of Osgood Shepherd, believed to have been erected near the river at the site of the Tree of Five Seasons.

What more is known of Shepherd and his family? A startling discovery by builders of the Cedar Rapids Candy Co. building at 412 A Ave. NE was published in The Evening Gazette on March 17, 1909. Following are excerpts from that article: 'While the workmen who are digging the excavation for the new building … were loading the dirt into wagons yesterday afternoon, one of the men, to his surprise and horror, uncovered a human skull, which leered up at him from the bottom of the hole in which he was working.

After the men who were brought to the place by his shouts had partially recovered from their surprise, they threw out a few more shovelfuls of earth (and) brought to light a complete human skeleton in a fairly good state of preservation … 'The skeleton was found near the south side of the excavation, about 30 feet from the sidewalk, and was only about three feet from the surface.

This lot was formerly occupied by the residence of the late R.W. Bushnell, who was for a number of years master mechanic at the BCR&N shops.

'… The body had been buried with the head toward the northwest, and the bones were all together when found, but were broken apart by the men in digging away the sand and some of them were lost, although all the larger bones were found. '… After the bones had been removed to the police station, coroner (David) King was called and after examining them carefully stated that it was the skeleton of a man, undoubtedly white, and that they had been in the ground for a great many years. Judging from the size of the skeleton and the shape of the skull the man was nearly six feet tall and of slender build. … All of the bones were in good condition when first discovered, but as soon as they were exposed to the air many of the smaller ones began to crumble away.

'For a long time everybody who had heard of the finding of the skeleton was at a loss to account for it, but finally David King (Sr.), father of the coroner and one of the pioneer residents of the city, was able to tell the story. ... In the year 1839, when the Cedar Valley was the home of the Indians and wild animals, Osgood Shepherd came from Ohio … and built a cabin on the bank of the river. ... For a long time it was the only house on the east bank of the river, and so it became the stopping place of travelers and was known as Shepherd's tavern.

'Shepherd's aged father lived with him for a time, but he died in the early (1840s) and was buried in the woods on the hill where the skeleton was found yesterday. … The Shepherds moved away after that, but they came back again about the year 1859 as near as King can remember. Mrs. Shepherd was a friend of his mother at that time, and one day she expressed a wish to go to the woods on the hill where her husband's father had been buried many years before. Mr. King took her and his mother to the place, but they could find no sign of the grave, as the underbrush had grown up over the little mound.

'(The elder) Mr. Shepherd was a very old man when he died, at least 80, and was probably a goodsized boy at the time of the Revolutionary War.

Since his death at least one house has been built and fallen to decay over his grave . ...

'While the skeleton was resting under less than three feet of earth, it is probable that the body was buried much deeper at first, as a considerable portion of the top of the hill has been cut away since that time to make way for different buildings and in clearing off the timber. The body was, of course, not buried in a casket, as there probably was not a coffin within a hundred miles of what is now the city of Cedar Rapids at that time. He may have been placed in a rude box of some kind, but this has long since rotted away, the dry sand preserving only the bones.' The following day found another gruesome discovery: 'Another human skeleton was unearthed by the workmen who are digging the excavation for the new building of the Cedar Rapids Candy Co., the bones being found only a few feet from where the skeleton of a man was found yesterday afternoon. The first of the bones of the second skeleton were found shortly after noon today. … The bones are much smaller than those found yesterday and are apparently those of a girl about 14 years of age. They are all badly decayed, and only about 15 or 20 were found.

They were about four feet south of where the skeleton was found yesterday and were about the same distance under the surface. There was no sign of a box or coffin of any kind.

'There is little doubt but that the bones were those of a daughter of Osgood Shepherd … as it is known that he had a daughter buried there alongside his father.' The Cedar Rapids Candy Co. made a variety of candy, including its signature Acme Chocolates. The advent of dime store candy put the company out of business. In 1936, the building became Calder's Van & Storage Co., but the inscription 'Acme Chocolates' remained above the entrance. In 1968, the building gave way to urban renewal and a new freeway.