INDEPENDENCE – The Buchanan County Historical Society has been doing several fund-raising events for the benefit of the Capt. D.S. Lee mansion and maintenance of the historic Wapsipinicon Mill.
The 15th annual Oakwood Cemetery tour, Strolling with the Spirits, is scheduled for Saturday, July 19. Oakwood is located on Highway 150 South (3rd Avenue SE), a block North of the Dairy Queen. Check out the history of Oakwood cemetery and the Lee Mansion on the historical society’s website . Each year there are different grave sites on the tour. Many of the burials include: 14 mayors, 5 sheriffs, 11 police chiefs, 4 circus people, 4 veterans from the War 1812, 191 veterans Civil War (GAR), 16 veterans Spanish/American war, 57 Veterans from WW1, 7 veterans from WW11, 103 firemen, 1 confederate soldier, 3 judges, 9 doctors and 14+ DAR, 2 time capsules and 1 run-a-way slave.
There will only be two guided tours (starting at noon and 12:30 p.m.) this year, beginning at the SW corner of the cemetery. Please park on the side street and look for the card table under the shade tree, which is the ticket booth for the event. Tickets are $5 each. Wear your walking shoes, as the historic tour winds its way through the entire cemetery. You will learn ‘dowsing’, also known as ‘witching,’ and rubbings of an early era stone. Learn more about Independence early history and the people that made Independence what it is today. Each year there are portrayers dressing the part and representing someone different. The E.C. Little post of the GAR will also be visited and those attending will receive an actual civil war bullet as a souvenir.
It takes a village to save a piece of history and keep local history alive. Please do your part. Have you noticed the red flags in the cemetery? The Oakwood Cemetery Brigade is in the process of restoring and or cleaning the early tombstones. Donations and volunteers are needed every Saturday from 9 a.m. to Noon!
