Dirk Siedlecki is President of Friends of Jacksonville's Historic Cemetery. Visit the website at www.friendsjvillecemetery.org.com. 
Recently-Restored Headstone of George P. Funck—The beautiful tablet-style headstone of George P. Funck, who died on January 22, 1869 of smallpox, has been restored. He was one of the last victims of the smallpox epidemic that struck Jacksonville in the fall of 1868. George died in his cabin just outside of Jacksonville. Due to the […]
In my column a couple months back, I mentioned that volunteer John McGlothlin and I came across some small headstones and decorative pieces while cleaning out the storage cabinets in the Sexton’s Tool House. One of those headstones, along with its base, belonged to little Beatrice Breitbarth, who died on January 12, 1869 at the […]
Before telling you about what the Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery has planned this spring, I would like to thank the volunteers who were able to help with our Community Clean-up of the Cemetery grounds on March 31. Fifteen volunteers filled 82 large trash bags with leaves and made a number of piles of branches […]
Cemetery Restoration and Preservation Work—In my March 2018 column, I shared the story of cleaning-out the cabinets in the Sexton’s Tool House and finding various pieces of damaged headstones and monuments, along with a few small headstones. One of the pieces of Margaret Zumwalt’s headstone was happily returned to the Eugene Pioneer Cemetery where it […]
A Happy Ending, But the Mystery Remains—In November 2017, volunteer John Mcglothlin and I decided that it was a good time to tackle a long-overdue project and empty the storage cabinets in the Sexton’s Tool House. We knew they had not been touched in years and were aware they contained some decorative pieces such as […]
I’d like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and thank all who volunteered and contributed to our efforts in 2017.
2017 was another good year for our organization. Despite heat, smoke, and high fire danger, our events and activities were well attended and a lot of work was completed.
Our volunteers donated 141 hours and […]
September Community Clean-up Day—Thank you to all who were able to join us on Saturday, September 30 for our annual fall clean-up day of the cemetery grounds. While the turn-out was a bit smaller than in the past, the group was amazing and managed to fill 60 very large bags with leaves. These annual clean-up […]
Thank You!—It has been a real challenge this summer hosting our events and activities with the record heat and all the smoke in our valley. While the turn-out was understandably down a bit from previous years, those attending enjoyed some very interesting and informative History Saturday in the Cemetery programs and Tuesday Evening Cemetery Strolls. […]
Thanks for an Interesting Tuesday Evening Cemetery Stroll—My appreciation to Docents Pat Stancel and Ellen Martin for putting on a very interesting and informative Tuesday Evening Cemetery Stroll in July, “Cemetery Art—Symbolism and Inscriptions” that was enjoyed by all in attendance.
History Saturday in the Cemetery, Saturday, September 9, 10:00-11:30am—Join us for our final History Saturday […]
Damaged Cemetery Headstone—Sadly, in June, we discovered the headstone of William Thompson who died in 1856, broken into several pieces and flat on the ground. At this time we believe this was most likely the result of an accident, and not a deliberate act of vandalism, the fact remains that a beautiful piece of our […]
Educational Programs-—May was a very busy month and thanks to our volunteers, a very successful one! I would like thank Pam Smith who was my fellow docent for our first Tuesday Evening Stroll of the year on May 9, touring the Red Men sections of the […]
History Saturday, June 10, 10:00am—Plan on joining us for History Saturday in the Cemetery on June 10, when our program will be on what travel by stage coach might have been like, as presented by Joan Hess and Vivienne Grant. The program begins at 10:00am and is approximately 90 minutes long. […]
Thank You Volunteers—Our sincere appreciation and gratitude to all the volunteers who showed-up for our first Community Clean-up Day of the year on March 10, 2017. It was a beautiful day and a great turnout with members of the community and the Church of Latter Day Saints pitching-in to clean-up the grounds of winter debris. […]
Marker Cleaning Workshops will resume on Saturday, April 15 and then on June 17, and on the third Saturday of each month through Saturday, September 16. Workshops are not held in May as volunteers are busy preparing the Cemetery grounds for the Memorial Day holiday weekend activities. The marker cleaning series of workshops is a […]
Community Clean-Up Day in the Cemetery is March 11, 2017—Please save-the-date and plan on joining the Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery, volunteers from the Jacksonville Boosters Club, along with other community organizations and residents, for a Spring Clean-Up of the cemetery grounds. The fun takes place on Saturday, March […]
I am pleased to report that 2016 was not only another successful year for our organization, but a very busy one, as well. Our Pioneer Cemetery continues to attract local visitors from all over the Pacific Northwest, as well as from all over the United States […]
With Appreciation and Gratitude—The Madrone Theatre Company and the Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery would like to sincerely thank everyone who attended our October fundraiser, Spoon River Anthology. Your support for our organization, our Pioneer Cemetery and the generous and dedicated cast was sincerely appreciated. The turnout for this unique and special production of Edgar […]
Thank you to all who were able to join us on Saturday, October 1 for our annual fall Community Clean-up Day of the Cemetery grounds. While the turnout was smaller than normal, the energy level was high! Perhaps the donuts helped, or that the rain held, or just the fact of being together and working […]
Well, fall is here and as things start to slow down a bit, we look back at what was a very successful summer, filled with events and activities that were well-attended and very popular. Our new Tuesday Evening Cemetery Strolls proved to be very popular and brought in many new first time visitors to the […]
It’s hard to believe that summer is coming to an end and that fall is just around the corner. It was a busy summer with a number of private tours, Tuesday Evening Strolls, History Saturday in the Cemetery, and our monthly Marker Cleaning Workshops. New this year, the Tuesday Evening Strolls, proved to be very […]
Before telling you about this month’s events and activities, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of a very special lady and friend, Dee Moore, who died on June 26. Dee was a very strong supporter of our Pioneer Cemetery and of everything historic in Jacksonville. She served on the Board […]
A BIG Thank You—Thank you with sincere appreciation and gratitude to everyone who was able to help with our pre-Memorial Day Community Clean-up of the cemetery grounds on Saturday, May 21. It was wonderful and refreshing to see a number of new faces helping out. We had a great turn-out and so much was accomplished: […]
History Saturday, June 11, 10:00-11:30am—Please join the Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery for our second program of the year, “The Chinese: Their Role in Jacksonville’s History,” presented by Docents Lynn Ransford and Anne Peugh. This program promises to be very interesting and informative. Following the talk, there will be a short walking tour to grave […]
Cemetery Stroll, Tuesday, May 10, 6:30-8:00pm—Join us for an all-new event, an early-evening stroll in the cemetery grounds to visit different sections of the Jacksonville Cemetery and learn more about the history of various fraternal and religious organizations comprising these final resting places. This month, we will visit a number of gravesites located in the […]
As the weather begins to warm up and things start to dry out a bit, our work in the cemetery is just beginning. Grounds clean-up and maintenance, marker restoration, and marker cleaning are but a few of our spring and summer chores. Thank you to all who were able to join us on Saturday, March […]
Upcoming Activities & Events—We are planning another year filled with activities and events that we hope you’ll find interesting, enjoyable and worthwhile! Your continued help in caring for and supporting our beautiful Pioneer Cemetery is sincerely appreciated.
Help with Cleaning-up the Cemetery Grounds—Our first Community Clean-up Day of 2016 will be on Saturday, March 12, from […]
Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery News – Dec 2015/Jan 2016
It was an amazing 10th-Anniversary program with tickets selling-out two weeks before the event that took place on October 9 and 10. Working from a standby list and finding spots for people who showed-up at the event, we were able to accommodate most requesting to take the tour. […]
Cemetery Clean-Up Days – Thank You From The Friends—Our sincere appreciation to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for all that they accomplished in helping to clean-up the cemetery grounds on Saturday, September 19. Volunteers painted, pruned, picked-up branches, raked and bagged leaves. There were close to sixty people, many family members, who […]
An Extraordinary Volunteer—The Friends of Jacksonville's Historic Cemetery have been most fortunate to have local resident Pam Means caring for the entire Jewish Section by herself.
It’s hard to believe that this year’s “Meet the Pioneers” program will mark our 10th Anniversary for this very popular and fun Jacksonville event. Who knew that our planned one-time event in 2006, to raise some much-needed funding for restoration and preservation work in the […]
A person or persons have been trespassing and entering the cemetery grounds after closing and lighting candles and placing them on or around grave markers. The melted wax is running and defacing the monuments. This is a punishable crime under ORS 166.076 Abuse of a Memorial to the Dead. Considered a Class A misdemeanor it […]
History Saturday in the Cemetery, Saturday, September 12 at 10:00am—Please join us for our final History Saturday program of the year as we explore Educators and Early Education in the Rogue Valley. This interesting and fun 90-minute program will be presented by Lynn Ransford and Pat Stancel and will also include a short walking tour […]
History Saturday in the Cemetery, August 8—Now in its 5th year, this very popular and well-attended program is offered on the second Saturday of each month, May through September. The 90-minute presentation includes a history talk followed by a short walking tour to grave sites relating to the featured subject. The August topic will be, […]
History Saturday in the Cemetery, July 11—Join us on Saturday, July 11 at 10:00am for a very moving and interesting program, “The Civil War Comes to an End,” presented by Robert Hight and Gail Nicholson. This special program, in recognition of the 150th Anniversary of the end of our Nation’s Civil War, will include a […]
History Saturday in the Cemetery, June 13—Please join us on Saturday, June 13 at 10:00am, and the Second Saturday of the month through September 12, for History Saturday in the Jacksonville Cemetery. June’s Topic will be “Untimely and Unfortunate Passings,” presented by Docents Ellen Martin and Anne Peugh. Their talk will also include a walking […]
Thank You Volunteers—A big thank you and much appreciation goes out to the 30-plus volunteers who turned-out on Saturday, March 14, for our first of three yearly Community Clean-up Days of the Cemetery grounds. It was a beautiful spring day and so much was accomplished thanks to the hard work of all our volunteers. Members […]
Cemetery Marker Cleaning and Workshops Resume on April 18, 2015—Join us for a fun and worthwhile volunteer project helping clean grave markers in our Pioneer Cemetery. This will be our third year offering these workshops with our trained volunteers helping to clean and preserve the markers. In 2013 and 2014, volunteers cleaned 244 markers, which […]
Cemetery Clean-Up Day is Saturday, March 14, 9:00am-Noon—Be sure to mark your calendars and join us, the Jacksonville Boosters and other community organizations for a few hours of work cleaning-up the cemetery grounds. Bring gloves to wear, leaf rakes, gas-operated blowers, pruning shears, brooms, eye and ear protection, and help us clean-up winter debris. We […]
Our Volunteer Efforts are Noticed and Appreciated—Thanks to all of our wonderful and dedicated volunteers, 2014 was another very busy and productive year for the Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery. We received a number of very generous year-end donations that will help support some major projects that are being considered for the New Year. With […]
As we enter the winter months, our outdoor activities and work slows down, although we continue to clean-up the cemetery grounds, pick-up downed limbs and branches and clean-up debris to keep the cemetery neat and tidy and safe for all visitors. We’ll keep the Interpretive Panels clean and the Interpretive Center open and brochure boxes […]
Thank you to all the volunteers who joined us for our fall clean-up day of the cemetery grounds on Saturday, October 4. I’d especially like to thank Steve Casaleggio and Linda Kestner who hauled-away 65 bags of leaves to be used as mulch, and Erik from Public Works who picked-up many more piles of leaves […]
Tree Removal—In late August and early September, several people commented about trees that had been cut-down within the cemetery grounds. To explain, there were a number of dead madrone trees and a couple of diseased pines the City had removed. While it’s sad to lose trees, occasional removal is an important factor in providing safety […]
WITH OUR APPRECIATION—Thank you and much appreciation to all of you who were able to join us on Monday, July 28 for our Day of Remembrance marking the 100th-anniversary of the beginning of the First World War. I would especially like to thank those joining me as presenters: Pastor Richard Evans, Bob Budesa, Vivienne Grant, […]
First-ever Book on Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery Just Published—I am very pleased to announce that the first book ever written and published about Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery, Silent City on the Hill, is now available thanks to Bill Miller, who along with the assistance of his wife Debbie, have turned years of research and a love of […]
Special Day of Remembrance and Memorial Service, Monday, July 28—Please join us for this special day of Remembrance and Memorial Service to mark the 100th Anniversary of the beginning of World War I, also known as the Great War or The World War. During the event, a prayer service will be offered by Pastor Richard […]