Another successful history walk added funds to Elmwood-St. Joseph Cemetery’s historic preservation fund. This year’s event raised over $2,000 that will be used for purchasing equipment and supplies for repairing broken monuments in the historic sections of the cemetery. Part of the money raised will be used as matching funds for grants to do maintenance and repairs that cannot be done by staff and volunteers.
The history walk was attended by 140 people who enjoyed watching eight city ancestors come alive to tell about their lives. Among the portrayals were Alonso Willson, grandfather of Meredith Willson, Elizabeth Stanton, co-owner of the Stanton Hotel and Minnie Melson, wife of Joshua Melson. As the visitors strolled through the cemetery, they also caught glimpses of a grieving widow in a black dress and veil roaming the grounds.
Over 40 volunteers were involved in putting the event together which took in excess of 400 hours to design and produce. Everyone enjoyed learning about the history and recreating it for others to see. The history walk committee decided to do another walk next year. Each walk is unique by portraying eight different people in other sections of the cemetery.
Anyone interested in volunteering to help with the event or contributing funds toward preserving the historic aspects of the cemetery is encouraged to contact the cemetery at 641-421-3687 or Elmwood@masoncity.net.|
