Uncover the captivating local history behind The Soldiers' Plot at Woodlawn Cemetery, featuring the legacy of George W. Gideon and the stories of fallen soldiers.
The weather was mild on the Sunday in December 1861 when George W. Gideon laid his second son to rest on a shady hill across from his residence on the north edge of Clinton. Standing at that place now, it’s hard to imagine it without paved paths, surrounded by hundreds of other tombstones. The giant oak tree that once provided a bit of shelter for the buried young man is long gone. How lonely and sorrowful it must have been for his parents to gaze across to the hill where their son was laid to eternal rest!
Edwin Gideon was a medical student when he volunteered to serve in the Union Army. His fellow volunteers elected him to the rank of 2nd Sergeant, but his medical knowledge placed him in a regimental hospital as a steward. (More about Edwin in his individual profile in a future blog.) After just a few months of service, Edwin became ill and was discharged to come home to either recuperate or die. Then, after just a few days at home, die he did. At that time, his father owned several acres of mostly wooded land at the edge of town with a segment of Ten-Mile Creek running through it. There was, and still is, a natural ridge along the east side of the property. Legend has it that Edwin’s last wish was to be laid to rest at the pinnacle of the ridge in the grove where he spent so many happy hours at play in his youth. He was the first of the Clinton volunteers to die while in service to his country, but he would be far from the last. Edwin died on November 29th and was buried December 1st, 1861.
The following year, the battle of Fort Donelson, Tennessee, took place between the 13th and 16th of February. Five Clinton volunteers (Samuel Day, Daniel Malone, Spencer Page, Locklin Rogers and Samuel Walcott) were reported killed in action on the 15th. A delegation of Clinton men was chosen to retrieve the fallen soldiers’ remains so that they could be interred on home soil. When they returned with the bodies, George W. Gideon graciously offered his hallowed hill for their graves. The Friday, March 13th edition of the Clinton Transcript devoted most of its front page to the funeral. (Side note: During this era, the paper was only published weekly. This one is dated Friday, March 13th, but the date would actually have been the 14th.) The services took place the previous Friday, March 7th, and by noon that day, “it seemed as if all DeWitt County was in Clinton.” The funeral procession traveled mostly on foot from the town square to “Mr. Gideon’s burial ground,” with carriages and horseback riders bringing up the rear. After hymns sung by a choir, a lengthy oration from a prominent citizen and prayers and Bible readings from local ministers, uniformed rifle bearers fired three volleys into the air to bring the event to a close.
As time and the war progressed, more soldiers died either from wounds or probably just as many from disease. Many families chose to have them buried beside these first soldiers on the hill. Most of these funerals are mentioned in the local paper, but some are not. Eventually, other people besides soldiers were buried nearby. In 1875, George Gideon sold the Soldiers’ Plot and an additional 35 acres to the newly formed Cemetery Association for $137.50 per acre.
Partial article from the Clinton Public, 25 Nov 1875:
The article goes on to state that there have been close to 1000 people buried there in the last 10 to 12 years, and that the old burial ground is “over-run with weeds and every thing betokens neglect.” (This surely refers to McGraw Cemetery on Clinton’s south side.) By now, Gideon’s hill was already being referred to as “Woodlawn Cemetery” as shown in the 1875 DeWitt County Plat Book. On this map, Gideon’s house is shown near the red dot at the corner of Center and Mary streets.
By early 1878, Mary Street was changed to Woodlawn Avenue due to its association with the cemetery. Mr. Gideon moved to a different house in 1878, and this one soon burned to the ground. Today, it’s an empty lot, best known as parking space for the Apple & Pork Festival! George W. Gideon died in 1889, and his obituaries reflect a life of benevolence as well as financial success and failure. He was born 15 Jan 1813 and died 14 Mar 1889.
The Clinton Public, 15 Mar 1889:
Another obituary published in the Clinton Register on the same date states he once owned the fairgrounds property. At that time, the fairgrounds were located at the present-day northeast corner of Cromwell Drive and Walnut Road.
George and his first wife are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, directly south of the Soldiers’ Plot.
Great pride was taken in the new Clinton burial grounds. The Cemetery Association started selling individual lots, using the collected funds to pay for maintenance and improvements. There was much talk about damming Ten-Mile Creek to create a small lake, but that plan never came to fruition. It may seem unusual today, but in the 1800’s and well into the 1900’s, cemeteries were seen not just as a place to bury the dead, but also as a park where families could go for picnics and relaxation. The gravesites spread across the creek and new sections were added. Eventually, the ownership of the cemetery transferred to the City of Clinton, and an arial map and grave locator may be found on their website. In 2024, there are over 14,000 graves in Woodlawn, Memorial Park, Oak Park and Mausoleum Park combined.
Sources:
DeWitt County newspapers on microfilm
1875 DeWitt County Plat Book (at DCGS library)
Fort Donelson Battle Facts and Summary | American Battlefield Trust (battlefields.org)
Terri Lemmel was born and raised in DeWitt County near Kenney. Upon completing her education at Clinton High School, she lived in Bloomington for several years before returning to Clinton in 1990. Her interest in genealogy was piqued in the mid-90s when she found unidentified obituaries in her late grandmother's scrapbook that family members could not identify. While she initially dabbled in the subject, it wasn't until her retirement in 2018 that she jumped in with both feet. Terri joined the Genealogical Society and has been serving as its President since 2022. Research is a passion of hers, and there are lots of interesting stories to uncover! You can find Terri in the DeWitt County Genealogical Society room at the Vespasian Warner Public Library every Thursday completing research and helping others with their family and local history research.
To learn more about the DeWitt County Genealogical Society, feel free to reach out to them via phone at 217-935-5174, email at dewittcgs@gmail.com, their website, or their Facebook page.
The Vespasian Warner Library, located at 310 N. Quincy St. in Clinton, IL, features an extensive collection of local history and archives. To learn more, visit our Local History Page on the website or stop by in person! We are always excited to showcase our local history resources and discuss DeWitt County's local history.
Until Next Time Library Friends!