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Cemeteries
General Information:
The City of Moline Park and Recreation Department is
responsible for the operation of Moline’s two cemeteries:
Riverside Cemetery, located at 2900 6th Avenue, Moline,
and Moline Memorial Park Cemetery, located at 5001 34th
Avenue, Moline.
Office Hours:
The cemetery office is located in Moline Memorial Park
Cemetery, and is open 8:00am – 5:00pm Monday thru Friday
and 10:00am – Noon on Saturdays (by appointment only).
Echoes From Riverside:
Each September, Moline City Cemeteries presents Echoes
from Riverside, “Gone, But Not Forgotten.” Please make
plans to join us at Riverside Cemetery for this
leisurely walk back in time where you will be introduced
to several of Moline’s early citizens. Local, costumed
thespians bring the characters to life in this
history-rich drama. Please contact the Cemetery
Office at (309) 797-0790 for information on this year's
production.
History of Moline City Cemeteries:
The Moline Cemetery Association was incorporated by the
State of Illinois February 17, 1851 and was governed by a
Board of Trustees. Joseph Pershing served as the first
Sexton and continued in that capacity until 1872. The
original five acres “Moline Cemetery,” often referred to
as the “4th Avenue Cemetery,” was acquired from Samuel and
Mary Bell on November 1, 1851, and today is located
between 4th and 5th Avenues at approximately 33rd Street.
There was a quarry bordering the 4th Avenue Cemetery on
the East, near Chub Creek, which later closed and filled
in Chub Creek. Even today, it can still be seen as to
where it flowed through the park. The lagoon bordering the
4th Avenue Cemetery on the West dates back to the pioneer
farms in this area. This lagoon was fed by a creek from
another spring fed pond in the southern part of the “new”
cemetery on top of the hill. The first Cemetery Sextons
and their families lived and farmed this area as part of
their compensation.
The white house on the west side of Riverside Park, 2712
6th Avenue, is the third dwelling used by Cemetery Sextons
and their families. The house prior to this one was built
in 1884 and sat on the opposite corner, across the street
to the north. The current house was purchased and
relocated to its present location in 1958. It served as
the Sextons residence and Cemetery office until 1983, when
the Sexton and Cemetery office moved to Moline Memorial
Park. The Riverside Park house is now occupied by the
Director of Moline Park & Recreation. As of August 3,
1998, the Cemetery Sexton no longer lives on Cemetery
property.
Very few interment records exist prior to 1873. What
remains are lot owner records and the dates the lots were
purchased. In 1975, the Blackhawk Genealogical Society
compiled a listing of all the names and dates that could
still be read on the remaining markers. They counted
approximately 1,174 names. Many markers were unreadable
such as limestone. Many graves were never marked. This is
often the case with children and “public ground” burials.
Some markers predate 1851. These people were possibly
relocated here from two earlier Moline cemeteries.
In 1873, the City of Moline, with John Deere as mayor,
took more control over the cemetery, replacing the Board
of Trustees with a Board of Directors appointed by the
Mayor and the City Council. Riverside Cemetery began to
expand to the south, acquiring large tracts of land from
several different owners. All of what is now Riverside
Park was once cemetery property. The main entrance was
located on 6th Avenue by the Sextons residence. Stone
pillars once stood there with Riverside Cemetery engraved
on them.
Considerable controversy ensued over the years regarding
the proper use of the cemetery property between the old
4th Avenue cemetery and the newer hillside cemetery; the
area known today as Riverside Park. After years of debate
over who should control this area, and whether or not it
was sacrilegious to allow recreational activities on
cemetery property, the Cemetery Board began selling
property to the Park Committee around 1909, and used the
proceeds of the sale towards maintaining Riverside
Cemetery.
The addition of a Chapel Mausoleum was considered
desirable by the Cemetery Board in 1911 and plans for its
construction were formulated. A Greek Revival style
mausoleum was completed in 1916, built of #1 Peerless Buff
stone, enhanced with numerous stained glass windows. It
contains 800 single crypts and 48 companion niches, all of
which have been sold.
Riverside and Moline Memorial Park Cemeteries have been
administered by the Moline Park and Recreation Department
since 1978.
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