Riverside Cemetery (Moline, Illinois)
Encyclopedia
Riverside Cemetery is located in Moline, Illinois
, United States
. It can trace its beginnings to Moline Cemetery, which was established to 1851. The original 5 acres (2 ha) of the cemetery was purchased from Samuel and Mary Bell on November 1 of that year. It is located between Fourth and Fifth Avenues at about 33rd Street, and was also known as the Fourth Avenue Cemetery. Joseph Pershing served as the first Sexton
, and the cemetery was placed under the direction of a Board of Trustees.
Numerous changes occurred when John Deere served as the mayor of Moliine. In 1873 the city took over control of the cemetery, and a Board of Directors was appointed by the mayor and the city council. Now known as Riverside Cemetery it began to expand to the south on property purchased from various landowners. The main entrance for the cemetery was located on 6th Avenue by the Sexton’s house. At this time William Le Baron Jenney
designed part of the cemetery.
What is now Riverside Park was cemetery property at one time. There was controversy about how cemetery land was being used. The property between the Fourth Avenue Cemetery and the hillside sections of the cemetery were being used for recreational purposes. Around 1909 the cemetery’s board started selling property to the Park Committee and used the proceeds to maintain the cemetery.
The Chapel Mausoleum was completed in 1916. The Greek Revival style structure is built of #1 Peerless Buff stone. It contains 800 single crypts, 48 companion niches and features stained glass
windows. The last house used by the cemetery’s sexton was moved to the property in 1958. It served as the cemetery office until 1983 when the office was moved Moline Memorial Park. It ceased as the sexton’s home in 1998. It is now used by the Director of Moline Parks & Recreation. Both Riverside Cemetery and Moline Memorial Park have been administered by the Moline Park and Recreation Department since 1978.
An historcial cemetery walk is sponsored each September called: Echoes From Riverside Cemetery. Costumed actors play the role of one of the people buried in the cemetery. A book was published in 2010 based on the walk.
Moline, Illinois
Moline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It can trace its beginnings to Moline Cemetery, which was established to 1851. The original 5 acres (2 ha) of the cemetery was purchased from Samuel and Mary Bell on November 1 of that year. It is located between Fourth and Fifth Avenues at about 33rd Street, and was also known as the Fourth Avenue Cemetery. Joseph Pershing served as the first Sexton
Sexton
Sexton may refer to:*Sexton , a self-propelled artillery vehicle of World War II*Sexton , a church or synagogue officer charged with the maintenance of the church buildings and/or the surrounding graveyard; and ringing of the church bells...
, and the cemetery was placed under the direction of a Board of Trustees.
Numerous changes occurred when John Deere served as the mayor of Moliine. In 1873 the city took over control of the cemetery, and a Board of Directors was appointed by the mayor and the city council. Now known as Riverside Cemetery it began to expand to the south on property purchased from various landowners. The main entrance for the cemetery was located on 6th Avenue by the Sexton’s house. At this time William Le Baron Jenney
William Le Baron Jenney
William Le Baron Jenney was an American architect and engineer who became known as the Father of the American skyscraper.- Life and career :...
designed part of the cemetery.
What is now Riverside Park was cemetery property at one time. There was controversy about how cemetery land was being used. The property between the Fourth Avenue Cemetery and the hillside sections of the cemetery were being used for recreational purposes. Around 1909 the cemetery’s board started selling property to the Park Committee and used the proceeds to maintain the cemetery.
The Chapel Mausoleum was completed in 1916. The Greek Revival style structure is built of #1 Peerless Buff stone. It contains 800 single crypts, 48 companion niches and features stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows. The last house used by the cemetery’s sexton was moved to the property in 1958. It served as the cemetery office until 1983 when the office was moved Moline Memorial Park. It ceased as the sexton’s home in 1998. It is now used by the Director of Moline Parks & Recreation. Both Riverside Cemetery and Moline Memorial Park have been administered by the Moline Park and Recreation Department since 1978.
An historcial cemetery walk is sponsored each September called: Echoes From Riverside Cemetery. Costumed actors play the role of one of the people buried in the cemetery. A book was published in 2010 based on the walk.
Notable Burials
- Louie BellsonLouie BellsonLuigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni , better known by the stage name Louie Bellson , was an Italian-American jazz drummer...
(1924–2009), musician - John Deere (1804–1886), inventor, industrialist
- Francis DickensFrancis DickensFrancis Jeffrey Dickens was the third son of Victorian novelist Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine Dickens née Hogarth.- Early life and career :...
(1844–1886), son of Charles DickensCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic... - Warren GilesWarren GilesWarren Crandall Giles was a National League executive in Major League Baseball.-Baseball:Giles was elected president of the Moline, Illinois baseball club in the Three-I League in 1919 and began a 50-year career in baseball that saw him rise all the way to the presidency of the National League...
(1896–1979), Hall of Fame Baseball Executive - Willard Lamb VelieWillard Lamb VelieWillard Lamb Velie was a businessman based in Moline, Illinois. He was an executive at Deere & Company before starting his own companies, which grew to become Velie Motor Company. He developed advanced engines for automobiles and airplanes.-Early life & Education:W. L. Velie was born in Moline,...
(1866–1928), industrialist; developed advanced engines for automobiles and airplanes. - Dwight Deere WimanDwight Deere WimanDwight Deere Wiman was an American silent movie actor, playwright and theatrical director. He is best known as a Broadway producer.-Early life & Education:...
(1895–1951), actor, playwright and Broadway producer
Further reading
- Kathleen Seusy, Diann Moore, Curtis C. Roseman, Regena Jo Schantz. Echoes From Riverside Cemetery Moline Illinois (Davenport: Heritage Documentaries) 2010, ISBN 0984142908.