Cemetery Timeline Connects to Past

The timeline put together by Carl and Jane Thoresen, superintendent and historian of the Oak Hill Cemetery in Cedar Rapids, is a great reference tool.

Covering 1840 to 1949, it was conceived because a lot of visitors to the cemetery wanted help in connecting the history of a loved one with the history of the community. With a grant of more than $1,000 and after putting in a couple of years of research, the Thoresens came up with 5,000 copies of the timeline on a double-sided 22-by-34-inch poster. (See today's Ramblin' column in The Gazette.)

Here's just a small portion of the timeline, the part that begins in 1853 with the founding of the cemetery.

In those early days, bodies from Village Cemetery, also known as Washington Cemetery, located in the block fronted by Fifth Avenue SE and 8th Street SE, were transfered to Oak Hill. It seemed that the property was owned by the Higley family which had other plans for it.

An announcement in the Cedar Rapids Democrat of Oct. 7, 1856, made the announcement.

"OAK HILL CEMETERY: The grounds of this cemetery are now arranged and prepared for reception of the bodies buried in the old grave yard. Messrs. Carpenter and Smith, who were to remove them, hereby wishh to notify those who have friends buried in the old yard, that if they desire to superintend the removal themselves, they will have to do so soon, as their obligation requires them to perform the act at once. They hope no delay will be made by those interested in this matter."

Thus began Oak Hill Cemetery behind a stone walled entryway that has grown to contain more than 11,000 bodies on 38 acres.