Friends of Mount Bloom donate $4,300 to Tiskilwa’s historic cemetery

Mount Bloom Cemetery, established in 1865 on the hill west of Tiskilwa, recently received a $4,300 donation from a local grassroots group, The Friends of Mt. Bloom.

After completing the last of their five major projects to enhance the appearance of the cemetery, the group voted to transfer remaining money to the cemetery. Since all funds were raised through donations, the transfer was made with the understanding that these monies will be used to hire workers for continued maintenance on these specific structures. During the past 15 years, almost all maintenance for these projects has been completed by volunteers.

The FoMB group formed in early 2008 when an old pine tree crashed down on the 1895 Waiting Room structure at the center of the south side of Mt. Bloom Cemetery, Tiskilwa. Hoping to save or replace the historic structure, a group of civic-minded citizens organized.

After the cemetery trustees determined the charming old building was beyond saving, the FoMB formulated an ambitious five-part plan: First, to replace the central structure with a gazebo; then to repair the 1915 steps and railings; next, to recreate the former stairway entrance structure and install it at the bottom of the hill; along the way, to design and install interpretive signs for each project; and finally, to create an archway for the lower entrance on the north side of Cemetery Hill.

They received permission from the cemetery trustees to complete these projects on the condition that all the money to complete these projects would come from private donations, not cemetery funds. By the end of 2008, through the generous donations of Tiskilwa residents and former residents who have family buried there, Friends of Mt. Bloom raised an amazing $15,000. By 2023, as they made plans for the final project (north side archway), the FoMB realized that they would need another $3,500 to complete it. When they solicited additional funds to finish the task, donors once again stepped up and, in fact, exceeded the goal.

On May 15, 2023, the archway was installed and the final project of the 15-year-old pipe dream was realized. Many people – too numerous to mention – volunteered hours of planning and labor to make these five projects happen. The Friends of Mt. Bloom issued a public thank-you to the Tiskilwa Historical Society, which has served as the financial steward of FoMB funds over all these years.