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The
Village Of Glen Carbon was incorporated in
1892. Village Cemetery in Old Town Glen Carbon is the
primary burial ground for many of the Miner workers and
families who once lived in the Village. The original idea of
having a Village burial ground was first discussed in 1894.
Finally in In 1901 the Village purchased 2 acres. Up until
then burials were in cemetaries located in neighboring
cities. The first burial in the Glen Carbon Cemetary was a
baby, William J. Williams in 1902. 
The cemetary was purchased in three sections. The first,
Section A, is located to the right of the entrance gates and
was purchased from Wm. Bosomworth. Section B, at the top of
the hill, was purchased from Dominick Pizzini in 1937.
Section C, the newest section, was purchased in 1970 and
extends to the left of the gate. The graves run north and
south perpendicular to the main roadway which runs west from
the gate and circles the cemetary.
Unique
grave style, rectangular plot markers, held plants and
flowers at one time. Seashells left on tombstones symbolize
that the memory of the deceased is eternal.
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Listing
of Graves
Some
Tombstones
Fountain
and walkway overlooking sec A
.
These
graves are built up and kept up better than most others,
also lots are connected via cement plot. (Miller
family)
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Above, a
family group, the Kilpatrick family. Left is an unmarked
grave of a small child, located near the grave of William
Williams.
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Section
A
Section A begins with
one single row (Row A) of graves running perpendicular to
the main roadway. The next two rows are double rows and then
two rows with single graves. These two single rows represent
a major division within the cemetary. They extend south into
Section C across the main roadway into Section C. All graves
within the cemetary are listed in groups of four with letter
designations A through Z. The last row in Section A is a
single row at the bottom of the hill west of the main
roadway.
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Coal Miners
Row
Section A has a row of graves known as "Coal Miner's Row".
Research of one of the graves there reveals an interesting
story. Michele (Mike) Berala was born in Italy in 1879. He
died January 16, 1909. It was first thought that Berala died
in a coal mining accident, however with more research it was
found that he had a more tragic experience. A catastrophic
earthquake struck southern Italy and Sicily in late December
1908 in which 300,000 people had been killed. Mike Berala
received a letter from Italy a day or two before his death
which told him that his parents, his sweetheart, and other
loved ones were among the victims. The poor man was so
devestated by this news that he shot himself to the left
side of his head.
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Huge
ornate granite tombstones like this one can be found in the
older part of the cemetery. (Schmidt family circa 1920 with
embedded pictures.)
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WWI Statue - A
World War I statue located in Section A is a memorial to two
men who fought in The Great War. Buried at the Memorial are
Harry G. Seaton and Emil Trentaz.
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People's Lives in
Stone
Suicides, automobile
accidents, and pedestrians being hit by trains occurred
throughout the history of the Village. One evening in 1940 a
train-car accident is still remembered by some Villagers
today.
On a May evening
that year, many of the people in the Village were on their
porches enjoying the spring when a loud crash was heard.
People who live in the Village now that were home that
evening can tell you where they were when tragedy hit the
Flannery's. Husband (John) and wife (Mildred) and their two
children Lois and Harvey were struck by a train at the
Wayside Railroad Crossing. To add to the tragedy, the next
year another son died from a train/bicycle accident. the
graves are in Section A.
Small
statue found in sec c .
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Memorial
Garden
During July, 2000 the
Village Board of Trustees approved the design and
installation of a Memorial Garden near the entrance to the
Village Cemetery. The Memorial Garden has a fountain with a
seating area, along with adjacent landscaping and a walkway.
This project was designed and installed by Noll &
Associates from the Garden Kingdom.
Information about the cemetery
is from a brochure created by Joyce A. Williams, Director of
the Glen Carbon Historical
Museum.
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