Evergreen Cemetery, in Bloomington, Illinois, is also known as Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.
History
The cemetery was originally two separate cemeteries, adjacent to each other. The first was the Bloomington Cemetery, founded in 1850 by the Bloomington Cemetery Association; the other was Evergreen Cemetery, founded in 1860.[1] The Bloomington Cemetery was funded by city tax dollars, while Evergreen was privately funded and maintained.[citation needed] The website of the current cemetery claims Evergreen was founded in the early 1820s.[2]
Over the years, Evergreen suffered from vandalism and deterioration. Community action in the 1950s and 1960s forced the city of Bloomington to buy out the owners of Evergreen Cemetery in 1963, creating the merged Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.[3]
The grounds of Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, which are maintained by staff and community members, include a Civil War burial section.
Events
Since 1995, the McLean County Museum has offered tours of the cemetery the last Saturday & Sunday of September and the first Saturday & Sunday of October.[4] The Evergreen Cemetery Discovery Walk combines historical research by Museum volunteers, costumed actors from Illinois Voices Theatre, and Evergreen Memorial Cemetery into a week-long outdoor theatrical production. People who contributed to central Illinois’ colorful history are brought to life through costumed actors assuming the intriguing characters of McLean County’s ancestors. Presented is not only the "who's who" of McLean County but also the regular day-to-day voices from the past, people who have contributed to the growth, diversity and success of McLean County in unique and innovative ways.[5]
