The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 5

crMTningTormormji, in. Ifime overtakes TdnTSgTSpfT RZ Scrogin Cemetery Janeses, McFaddens and a lot of others all stuck back here in the hedge. They are back here with a broken badminton racket, a bent car wheel, an empty Beer Nut bag, some insulated wire, a Kentucky Fried Chicken box, and a bottle of I'almolive dishwashing liquid. The foundations of a lot of the tombstones were dug up and hauled into town where they were used to build at least one private sidewalk. Some of the stones have been taken by people who like oW tombstones.

What happened here? It's hard to be sure. More than a decade ago some men working for the township went into the cemetery, took out every' stone and put them in the hedgerow, then mowed tfie acre. The downfall of Scrogin Cemetery seemed to come because nobody owned By Rick Baker LEXINGTON It's just an empty acre north of Lexington. It's the kind of acre people fly kites and have picnics on. A lot of people probably, have.

And they probably had no idea that more than 50 people were buried under them. This is Scrogin Cemetery. It looks about as much like a cemetery as it looks like a high-rise apartment building. There's not a tombstone in sight. There's no little monument around.

There's no cemetery sign. It's right off old U.S. 66. It would a good baseball field, but there's a slope to it. A tall hedgerow borders three sides of it.

That's where the tombstones are. Most of them are broken. There are common McLean County pioneer names on them. There are Dawsons, Fells, Hamiltoas. Tiptons, lit r-: -of a 1 1 I i it.

or nobody was sure if anybody owned it. The man who owned it originally died a long time ago. With nobody owning it. nobody kept it up. It was in shabby condition long before the township had the stones taken out.

People recall that it was a virtual forest of weeds and a tot of the stones had been vandalized. Family cemetery It wasn't, supposed to be this way. When L.P. Scrogin cleared off the land in the mid 1800s. it was for his private family cemetery.

Part of the reason the cemetery is the way it is today is because Scrogin was a charitable man. His young daughter was the first person to be buried there. She died as a result- of an epidemic in the early 1850s. A Jot of other people in Lexington died as result of the epidemic, and Scrogin had the only cemetery in town. While the cemetery remained his private property, he allowed people to bury their relatives there.

As time went by. it was thought of as a city or a township cemetery, but It never was. And when it was full, it was more or less forgotten about. There are indications that a cemetery association was formed for Scrogin Cemetery in the early 1900s, but it apparently fizzled out. Verda Gerwick is the spearhead of the local historical society in Iexington.

She's spent a lot of time trying to get something done about Scrogin Cemetery. It appears that a memorial of some kind may soon be there as a result of her efforts. jaw it I lb majoring in vocal performance at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. The 5-7 1 120-pound woman, who also reigns as Miss Minnesota, said she doesn't believe in gambling, marijuana, women's liberation, premarital sex or abortion.

Congratulations Atlantic City, N.J. (AP) Dorothy Kathleen Benham, 20, of Edina, received a congratulatory kiss Sunday morning from her mother and stepfather, Dorothy and Oscar Dahle, after she was crowned Miss America for 1977 Saturday night. Miss Benham is a junior Court Notes McLEAN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT ASSOCIATE DIVISION Lois Virginia Holt, 31. ol 311 Low posted ifo for a court appearance Sept 71 on a charge ol disorderly conduct Josaph Lee Petry, 19 ol 107 Western posted 175 tor court appearance Oct 6 on a charge ol disobeying a traffic siqnal John Curry II, 73 of 704 Alhn was being held in county iail Sund.iy night in lieu ol i25 on a charge ol disorderly conduct. Sign, window broken Vandals caused $175 damage "when they broke a sign and plate glass window early Sunday morning at George Ohler Shoe Repair, 108 K.

Front. Ohler told police. Stanford woman faces charge Helen' M. Sanders. 52.

of Stanford was charged 'with driving while intoxicated Thursday night by McLean County sheriff's police. She was arrested about 8 p.m. in Stanford after a deputy approached to ask why her tar lights were not on. She posted for a Sept. 29 court appearance.

Car accident victim termed satisfactory Gregry Dennis, 19. of Chicago, who was injured Saturday noon in a one-car accident on Interstate 74 near Carlock. was listed in "satisfactory" condition Sunday night at St. Francis Hospital Medical Center. He had been transferred there in critical condition from St.

Joseph's Hospital Medical Center. The driver of the car. Walter McQuay. 19, of Chicago and two other passengers were treated a the hospital and released. Police said the accident occurred when McQuay lost control of the car after a tire blew out.

Cemetery association sets meeting, election A business meeting and an election of a trustee for a three year term are on the agenda of the Rosewood Cemetery' Association's annual meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. The association will meet at the Twin Grove Church, R.R. 4. The Daily Pantaqraph Reg.

U.S. Pat. Oft. Telephone All Departments, 879-9411 Published daily and Sunday by Evergreen Communications, 301 W. Washington Bloomington, Illinois 41701 TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION By Carrier: SI.

00 a week. By Motor Route: S1.0S a week. By Mail: Inside Illinois, Oaily and Sunday: Vear V37.50; 6 J21 75; 1 daily only: Year S34 50 6 S20 25; 1 S4 J5. Outside Illinois sold only as Daily and Sunday combination: Year $48 00 6 $29 25; 1 $5 50. Mail subscriptions to members of Armed Forces in Illinois: Year 3 49 40 Armed Forces outside Illinois: Year $40 00; $11.75 Sunday only mail subscriptions in $26 50; 1 $3 50 Outside Illinois: Year $4 00 (No mail subscriptions taken where there is carrier or motor route service Second class postage paid at Bloomington, Illinois.

Your Life Insurance Man from New York KENNETH SEITZ, CLU Who are they? "The people who founded this town are the people who are buried out there," she we'll never know who some of them are." After the tombstones were removed to allow the township to mow, Mrs. Gerwick spent two years attempting to put a picture of who was buried where into place. It was a futile attempt. With the tombstones moved, it was a hopeless effort. "A lot of people helped.

The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts came down and we tried to get it straight again, but we could not," she said. No records charting burial plots have been found. Records probably were not kept. Seeing the rebuilding of the cemetery was not possible, volunteers cleaned it up and seeded the acre with grass. The historical society is attempting to get the acre deeded to the township, so the township will keep it mow'ed.

Currently the city volunteers a man and a mower for the job. And th society, with the help of the American Legion, plans to have a small patio constructed in the center of the acre. On that patio, they plan to have a bronze plaque listing the 173 persons known to be buried there. Ph. 452-7112 NEW YORK LIFE INS.

101 E. Vernon, Normal We pay the Brighten up your day with lunch at restaurant (O Routes 66 at 150 Lexington This acre of grass just north of Lexington looks like a nice spot to have a picnic or fly a kite. And you'd never know there were more than 150 Cp(xC9W 19? 1956 Untied feature Syndicate inc Forlorn AVtoTE FOR SNOOPY I IS A VOTE FOR people buried beneath the grass. (Pan- tagraph photo)- highest rates allowed by law Whatever your savings goals, Peoples Bank of Bloomington offers a plan to fit your needs. all deposits are insured up to $40,000 by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Births SNOOPY INTHE WHITE HOUSE INTHE LUNCH BOX Sunday at St. Joseph's Hospital Medical, Get on the Peanuts bandwagon. Look for the free "Snoopy and You" election sticker inside specially marked loaves of delicious tasting Butternut Bread. 12 stickers in all. One per loaf.

Free. Mr. and Mrs. Larry Marr, '717 Fairmont Drive, a boy born Sunday at Brokaw Hospital. Mr.

and Mrsi Rick Wince, 801 Bryan, Normal, a girl born Saturday at Brokaw Hospital. Mr. Tand Mrs. Koy Miskin, R.R. 7, a boy born Sunday at St.

Joseph's Hospital Medical Center. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Taylor, 1247 Hilltop Trailer Court, a girl born Saturday at St: Joseph's Hospital Medical Center. Mr.

and Mrs. Joshua Akinola, 1194 Cardinal Court, Nofrmal, a boy born Center. HOPEDALE-Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lehmkuhl, a boy born Sunday at Brokaw Hospital, Normal.

COLFAX-Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Eades, 307 W. North, a girl born Thursday at St. Joseph's Hospital Medical Center, Bloomington.

TOWANDA-Mr. and Mrs. Richard Snow, R.R. 1, a girl born Friday at St. Joseph's Hospital Medical Center.) Bloomington.

PONTIAC (PNS Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Howard, a girl born Sunday at Fair bury Hospital, Fairbury. PLAN I RATE TERM MINIMUM Certificate of Deposit 712 6 years $1000 Certificate of Deposit 714 4 years $1000 Certificate of Deposit 6V2 2V2-4 years $500 Certificate of Deposit 6 1-21a years $500 Certificate of Deposit 5V2 90 days $500 Blue Ribbon 512 90 days $500 Regular 5 None $1 i mm (0 Here's the dirt: they're in the Yellow Pages. For a clean sweep of washing machines, any other appliances Regulations require a substantial interest penalty fori or any product or They're there at eany wiinarawai on Lemjicaies.

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