November 12, 2024
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Wallace-Dickey Cemetery preservation effort underway in Ottawa

Goal is to stabilize existing wall, rebuild as necessary

By Shaw Local News Network
Chuck Sanders, president of the Wallace-Dickey Cemetery Preservation Association, and Keith Stehl (left), Ottawa Masonry, look at the current condition of the wall surrounding the Wallace-Dickey Cemetery, a land-locked private family cemetery, on the North Bluff in Ottawa.

Chuck Sanders, president of the Wallace-Dickey Cemetery Preservation Association, and Keith Stehl (left), Ottawa Masonry, look at the current condition of the wall surrounding the Wallace-Dickey Cemetery, a land-locked private family cemetery, on the North Bluff in Ottawa. (Photo provided by Donna Nordstrom)

The Wallace-Dickey Cemetery Preservation Association has begun a major fundraising effort with the goal to stabilize the existing wall and rebuild as necessary.

After spending time looking at the condition of the wall surrounding the Wallace-Dickey Cemetery on the north bluff in Ottawa, both Chuck Sanders, president of the Wallace-Dickey Cemetery Preservation Association, and Keith Stehl, Ottawa Masonry, acknowledge it is going to be a large and expensive undertaking.

“We want to reuse as much of the original Joliet limestone as possible,” Sanders said.

A dedicated group of volunteers, mostly members of the Starved Rock Civil War Round Table, started some restoration work in 2019, but, the work was halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This same group has handled the maintenance chores, such as mowing the grass and collecting fallen branches for several years.

As a first step, two trees will be removed, thanks to a generous donation from a benefactor.

As part of their fundraising efforts, the association is planning a Civil War reenactment event on the grounds of the Reddick Mansion on Saturday, May 18. Events on Sunday, May 19, will include guided tours of the cemetery and a presentation about Gen. Wallace at the Ottawa Historical and Scouting Heritage Museum.

The cemetery dates back to early 1800s and holds the graves of several members of the Wallace and Dickey families, including General WHL Wallace killed in the Battle of Shiloh (and immortalized in the mural above Jeremiah Joe’s in downtown Ottawa), T. Lyle Dickey, prominent attorney of the mid-19th century, their wives and children.

People interested in helping preserve this unique part of Ottawa’s history can send donations to Wallace-Dickey Cemetery Preservation Association NFP, PO Box 392, Ottawa, IL 61350. Volunteers also are needed for helping at the fundraising event and for the construction/maintenance of the cemetery. For information or to volunteer, email gen_wallace@outlook.com.

(From left) Chuck Sanders, president of the Wallace-Dickey Cemetery Preservation Association, and Keith Stehl, Ottawa Masonry, look at the current condition of the wall surrounding the Wallace-Dickey Cemetery, a land-locked private family cemetery, on the North Bluff in Ottawa.

(From left) Chuck Sanders, president of the Wallace-Dickey Cemetery Preservation Association, and Keith Stehl, Ottawa Masonry, look at the current condition of the wall surrounding the Wallace-Dickey Cemetery, a land-locked private family cemetery, on the North Bluff in Ottawa. (Photo provided by Donna Nordstrom)

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