Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society to focus on cemeteries, their stories Aug. 25

The Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society will present a program by Carol Chandler titled “What Happened to Our People?”

The presentation will begin at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 25, at the LCHGS office at 113 S. Hennepin Ave. in Dixon.

You may recognize Chandler from her many years as a registered nurse both at KSB Hospital and CGH Medical Center and her involvement in many community events over the years, especially those for Vietnam veterans.

Many people are unaware of the many historical events that are woven into our history, some of national importance and some that are of interest only to those of us who have spent most of our lives here.

One day, back in 2015, a man walked into the LCHGS office and asked Chandler to research a cemetery on his farm that he had played in as a child. He recalled two standing tombstones, but that was all. That piqued her interest and led her on a 10-year odyssey into the history of where our loved ones lie.

Looking back, some of our most interesting stories lie in our cemeteries. How many cemeteries were/are there in Lee County? What happened to them, these hallowed places of our ancestors who brought us to this part of our country?

If deaths occurred as wagon trains passed through, what did they do with those who passed away? What happens when the family members drift away and there is no one to look after their final resting place?

Was there really a cemetery on top of the cement plant hill in Dixon? Was there another one behind the Brandywine Restaurant? What about the cemetery that the state demolished and kept secret from the public? What about the cemetery that a farmer ran an irrigation system through?

How about a family who bought a beautiful acreage with river frontage to build a house, but there was a cemetery there? How about the high school students who stumbled on an old cemetery and “dug up some old bones”? Where did we bury those who had to be buried very quickly during the cholera pandemic in 1854? Half of the 34 deaths occurred in a single day!

What about the indigent; where were they buried?

The program is filled with stories that will make you laugh and some that will make you very angry. Bring your questions and family stories about the cemeteries to share with others.

There is ample parking close by, and the office is handicapped accessible. There is no fee, and the public is welcome. For further information, call 815-284-1134.