Uprooted cemetery trees mean annual walk must move east
A summer storm will not silence the spirits.
The Dundee Township Historical Society will have its cemetery walk, not at the storm-ravaged Route 31 graveyard, but at Dundee Township Cemetery East, along Route 25.
The ground in Dundee Township Cemetery West is still uneven and has holes after winds and rain uprooted large trees.
The same storm, which dumped torrential rain on Dundee Township on Aug. 23, caused only minor damage on the East Dundee cemetery. Even though it's the newer of the two township-owned cemetery, there is still plenty of history in Route 25 graveyard.
"Dundee Township Cemetery East was started in 1892. It was a farmer's field before that," said Liz Gade, township clerk and cemetery board secretary. "There's a different generation over in the east cemetery. There are veterans from World War I, World War, II, Korea and Vietnam."
Two Civil War veterans, Albert Buckely and George Giddings, will be among the six people featured during the walk, said Marge Edwards, president-elect for the historical society.
"This is the first walk we've had at the east cemetery," she said. "We had to shift gears a little in our research. We're used to concentrating on people buried in the west cemetery. But, we looked through obituaries and newspaper clippings and we found some interesting facts."
Dundee Township Cemetery West in West Dundee was started in 1861. It holds the remains of Civil War veterans and people who have died in following wars. Both burial grounds also hold the remains of people who helped build and shape north Kane County.
During the walks, local residents portray nearly a dozen people who are buried at the site.
"We have some very influential and interesting people buried in the east-side cemetery," Gade said. "It will be nice to give them attention."
The east cemetery is twice as large as the west cemetery. It has nearly 8,000 graves with room for more. The west cemetery is full and closed.
The walk will be from 1-3:30 p.m., Oct. 21. A $5 donation will be collected.
Since the storm, tree workers have been cutting up the fallen trees and taking away the wood in the Route 31 cemetery. It may be months before it is completely restored.
"There's more than 25 headstones that were damaged. We're getting estimates at how much they will cost to repair," Gade said.
The ground also has to be made level from where the trees stood and fell. Damage has been valued at $33,000. Dundee Township board members have applied for federal emergency funds to pay for the restoration. For more information on the walk, call the historical society at (847) 428-6996.