Dirk Siedlecki Shares His Appreciation

Dirk Siedlecki after a Cemetery Clean-up

It is sometimes easy to lose focus of what has been accomplished when there is still so much that you want to do. Fortunately, my wife Mary is there at my side to remind me of all the great things that the Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery and our dedicated volunteers have accomplished. So, while I still have a very long list of things on my “to do” list, it is now time to reflect on our many successes of  the past year.

It was a very busy and good year for the FOJHC and I take great pride in all that we have managed to do. We hosted three Community Clean-up Days of the cemetery grounds on March 19, May 21, and October 1. A volunteer workforce of 132 strong put in 557 hours helping to care for our cemetery. The FOJHC were joined by the Boosters and Rotary Clubs, the Masons, and members of the community. I would like to thank the Masonic Lodge once again for the wonderful lunches they served to all the volunteers following the clean-ups on March 19 and again on October 1. Thank you for your great community spirit and for sharing your time with us.

Private tours were very much in demand this past spring and summer and our Docents did an outstanding job of providing interesting and fun tours for all. There were ten special tours given and the ages of our visitors ranged from a group of 40 retired adults from Roseville, California to a group of very young home schoolers from the Applegate. We were very pleased that there were so many student groups requesting tours. They were great visitors who really showed an interest and asked some thoughtful questions.

Our History Saturday Program, new this year, has proved to be quite popular. The attendance each month has averaged about 40-45 people with an all time high of 63 people in November. Again, our Docents have done an outstanding job of presenting the history of the cemetery, the various fraternal and religious organizations, and of those buried in the cemetery. The Program has allowed us to go into much greater detail than we can normally cover in our regular tours or our Meet the Pioneer Program.

Given its popularity and success we plan on repeating it, with some minor changes, in 2012.

On April 12, we held a special Memorial Service to mark the 150^th Anniversary of the start of the Civil War. The event was attended by over 100 people. It was a very moving and inspirational service to honor all the Civil War Veterans, from both sides, and all around the country. The names of more than 60 Civil War Veterans resting in the Jacksonville Cemetery were read aloud.

In May the FOJHC hosted a marker restoration and cleaning workshop in the Central Point Cemetery. It was very well received and attended, following the vandalism that occurred in that cemetery in March 2011.

Our Annual Memorial Day Meet and Greet on May 29 and 30, was very well received and seems to become more popular every year. Volunteers placed 376 flags on the gravesites of all our Veterans resting in Jacksonville. The flags are placed each year in time for the Memorial Day Holiday and removed after Veterans Day in November. We receive so many wonderful comments about the flags and how good it makes people feel that somebody cares.

Once again our Displays in the Jacksonville Library Show Case proved to be quite popular. In May we had a display called “Hats off to our Military”, which was a tribute to our men and women in service, and our Veterans, and featured hats from all different branches of service. In September we featured “Meet the Pioneers” and Victorian Mourning Customs, always a popular topic.

The 6^th Annual Meet the Pioneers Program in October was once again a tremendous success with over 600 people attending the 30 tours that were offered. The introduction of some Narratives, along with stories of some less known Pioneer families, was very well received by the audience. Again, it is our dedicated volunteers, players and the entire support staff that make this program so successful and fun. The proceeds will ensure ongoing restoration and preservation work in the cemetery and support for the Jacksonville Elementary School music program, a cause that our event partner, the Boosters Club, has provided assistance to for many years. Our 7^th Annual Meet the Pioneers is scheduled for October 12, and 13, 2012. Work on next years program will begin in January.

Speaking of restoration work, in early October Oregon Granite completed work on 15 monuments that they were contracted to restore, by the FOJHC. The total project came in at just under $3,000 and brought the number of monuments restored by Oregon Granite to 67. Trained Volunteers completed restoration work on an additional 16 monuments during 2011, bringing the total of restored monuments by volunteers to 130. We also restored a marker for a small family cemetery, on a private ranch, in Lake Creek. It is very rewarding to be able share our new found skills with other cemeteries in need.

In addition we were able to locate where 3 markers belonged in the Jacksonville Cemetery and 1 was returned to the Missouri Flat Cemetery. These 4 markers were found stored in the Sexton’s Tool House in various states of disrepair. A couple of these damaged markers were most likely the result of the vandalism that occurred in the Jacksonville Cemetery in the mid 1960’s. A Jacksonville resident who grew up in Jacksonville shared her thoughts with us at the November History Saturday Program. She said that while growing up she would walk through the cemetery and enjoyed its beauty and the peace and quiet. She went on to say that one day, following the vandalism, she walked through the cemetery and was just heart broken to see the vast destruction that had taken place. She thanked the FOJHC for the wonderful work they have done restoring the cemetery and its beautiful monuments. You can’t ask for a better thank you than that!

We are very thankful for the hundreds of visitors from around the United States and around the world, who have visited Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery this year. Some came for the history, some doing genealogy research, some for the elaborate monuments and the iron work, and others to stroll and enjoy the peace and tranquility. We appreciated them sharing some time with us and for their kind and encouraging words in the guest register.

People continue to be generous with donations, including a truck that was donated by Tam Moore. This truck has been such a wonderful gift allowing us to easily move our tools, equipment and materials around the cemetery. We have nicknamed our beautiful truck “Last Ride”. Local residents and visiting family members have provided both moral and financial support for our work which is greatly appreciated.

The FOJHC look forward to a new year full of events, projects and challenges. We thank all those who have been so supportive this past year and look forward to working with you in 2012. The time and financial support provided have made 2011 a wonderful and successful year for the FOJHC and our beautiful Pioneer Cemetery.

One behalf of the Board of Directors of the FOJHC and all our volunteers, please accept our sincere appreciation and best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season.

Dirk J. Siedlecki

President – FOJHC

Visit our website at www.friendsjvillecemetery.org for additional details on how you can get involved and/or make a donation. FOJHC is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.