Jacksonville Review – April 2026
IN NEXT MONTH’S column we’ll have news of our Spring Clean-up (March 21), which began the process of readying the cemetery for recurring FOJHC programs starting in May: History Saturday in the Cemetery (May 9), and Marker Cleaning Workshops (May 16).
And before those programs begin, our Pre-Memorial Day Community Cemetery Clean-up Day on Saturday, May 2, will give us one more go at putting finishing touches on the cemetery grounds before the arrival of family, friends, and visitors on Memorial Day.
For now, we have news of a significant addition to our website that we’re sure will be of interest to the many fans of Meet the Pioneers (MTP), the FOJHC living history program that was a fixture of early-October weekends in Jacksonville for many years.
Conceived by FOJHC co-founder, Dirk Siedlecki, and produced each year by Dirk and, as he put it, “a small army of volunteers,” MTP was enjoyed by some 600 visitors to the cemetery each year, plus an encore performance for residents of Pioneer Village, until Dirk’s passing in early 2023.
After his passing it was discovered that, in addition to producing the MTP tours each year, Dirk had also been writing and assembling a collection of short stories documenting each season of Meet the Pioneers (through 2019), complete with cast photos, and indices cross-referencing the stories, historical characters, and their interpreters.
Assembled as “Meet the Pioneers at Jacksonville Oregon’s Historic Cemetery, The Silent City on the Hill,” Dirk included a dedication and photos, as well as an introduction (Stories From Meet the Pioneers) which describes both the living history program and the stories Dirk crafted from it. Next come the stories from each season of MTP (we’ve added program notes from the 2022 season to complete the fourteen-year cycle). The indices referenced above follow the stories.
Starting in 2011, videos of Meet the Pioneers performances were recorded and posted on YouTube and, while Dirk’s indices indicate the presence or absence there of a video for each story, we’ve added a section to his original format to provide easier access to the YouTube videos through clickable links on our website.
These interesting, informative short stories make great reading and, like the videos, should help bring back memories of your favorite experiences from the MTP tours. They’re found behind the Meet the Pioneers tab on the FOJHC website. We hope you enjoy!
Pre-Memorial Day Community Cemetery Clean-up Day, Saturday, May 2, 9am-noon—Bring gloves, rakes, gas/battery-operated blowers, weed eaters, mowers, plus eye/ear protection.
Please check our website at friendsjvillecemetery.org for future events and programs.
Featured Image: “Silent City on the Hill” Source: Dirk J. Siedlecki, Meet the Pioneers at Jacksonville, Oregon’s Historic Cemetery