Graceland Cemetery
Graceland Cemetery & Graceland’s beautifully landscaped grounds have their origins in 1919. The cemetery was set up when a group of Decatur and Niantic men acquired 54 acres of land on the northwest edge of Decatur for the purpose of establishing a modern perpetual care fund cemetery. Development work started by clearing the land of old buildings and fences, building roads, and adding a new fence around the tract. New drives were laid out and extensive landscaping undertaken. The landscape policy called for extensive use of evergreens. This helps keep the grounds attractive in summer and green in winter. During winter, when everything is covered with snow, it is a sight that could best be described as fairyland-like.
Over the years, we have added features to our facility that further enhances the picture-perfect beauty of Graceland.
Garden of Memories
In 1946, the Veteran’s Section was created. Known as the “Garden of Memories”, it is a fitting tribute to those who have served our country in times of war and their closest family members. A second addition to the Veteran’s Section has been developed. These two sections have served as the final resting place for nearly two-thirds of 1,000 veterans in Graceland. An 80 square feet Field of Honor, with a flagpole in the center of the Veteran’s Sections, marks the spot. .
In 1950, two 105-millimeter howitzers were brought by truck from the Rock Island arsenal and placed in the Field of Honor. There is a circle walk of colorful Crab Orchard stone around the field pieces and flagpole, and outside this walk are bronze plaques placed by families of servicemen buried overseas or lost at sea. Memorial Day programs honoring war veterans have been held in Decatur's cemeteries for more than 100 years. Since the late 1940's, Graceland has held ceremonies at the Field of Honor in Graceland..
Babyland Isle of Innocence
One of our unique features is the heart-shaped Babyland Isle of Innocence. Surrounded by drives, a bronze statue of a Dutch boy and girl, mounted on a Minnesota Odessa granite pedestal, occupies the center of the island. Created by a Duluth sculptor, it adds to the appeal of the architecture. The marble "Garden of Angels" statue in the Babyland section is another architectural landmark. It depicts boy and girl cherubs and a dog, and is mounted on a granite pedestal in blue pearl imported from Sweden.
Star of Hope Mausoleum
In 1969, the Star of Hope Mausoleum was ready for use. It’s one of our crowning achievements. Though not the largest or most elaborate, the mausoleum’s architecture is probably the finest in central Illinois. The middle section, done in A-style architecture, houses a 60-feet high chapel. The steep roof is covered with Buckingham slate. Two twenty-feet wings extend to the east and west of the chapel. The overall length of the building is 322 feet. The exterior is constructed with split face Lannon stone, in a random ashlar pattern with a limestone trim. An “eternally lighted” stainless steel cross is mounted on the exterior of the chapel’s front wall. The interior walls, made predominantly of marble, are polished to a mirror finish adding to the grand elegance of the Mausoleum. Potted plants and bouquets of cut flowers are always on display on handsome tables and niches. The V-shaped plate glass windows at the ends of several side corridors provide a 180-degree view of the beautifully landscaped surroundings.
Garden Estates
In 1953, a white Carrara marble statue depicting Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane was placed at the west side of the Estate Gardens. The statue, mounted on a pyramid of three granite slabs and placed at a slightly elevated spot, is readily seen from the drives and is the most outstanding architectural feature in the cemetery. The Garden Estates are in themselves a feature of the park-like layout of the burial sections. In 1956, Section R was opened and is said to be the first in the country to deviate from the traditional cemetery layout of row-on-row graves, which places the memorial monuments directly behind each other. In Section R, the lots are staggered and all can be seen from the drives that give access to the sections.
Valhalla
Yet another innovation that adds to the beauty of the facility is the Valhalla section. Adjacent to the Star of Hope Mausoleum, there is a beautiful fountain at the center which dances to the tune of the Illinois winds. At night, the lights add to the serene and peaceful environment.
The history of Spring Hill dates back to the 1780s when the first settlers moved in from the Cumberland settlement into an area six miles east of Nashville called Haysboro. The land offered fertile soil for their crops and a plentiful steady water source from several springs. Needing a church and school, James Robertson persuaded the Princeton educated Reverend Thomas B. Craighead of Mecklenburg, North Carolina, to move to Haysboro as a preacher and teacher. With a promise of 640 acres of land he arrived in 1785. The settlers had built a log house on the property for him and his family.
Fairlawn Cemetery
The story of Fairlawn Cemetery dates back to 1913 when an abandoned brickyard, full of potholes, trenches and ridges was acquired for development. The goal was to preserve the wooded areas and natural beauty of this Decatur location while restoring the ravaged sites to some semblance of their original state. Hundreds of trees were planted in the early stages of development. Today, this well landscaped and wooded area, paved with drives, trees and grassy slopes is a major Decatur landmark. .
In 1927, the Fairlawn Memorial Mausoleum was added to the cemetery near the north side. The mausoleum was the first building in Decatur to be constructed by the continuous pour operation for concrete walls. A crematory was installed on the lower level of the mausoleum in 1957. Private mausoleums are located along the top of a wooded slope near the front entrance of the cemetery..
Among the many unique features of Fairlawn Cemetery are included:
Garden of the Apostles
This is a circular colonnade of Italian marble. On the circular marble strip that links the pillars is inscribed, "Where the Spirit of the Lord Is, There is Liberty". The colonnade has a wishing well in white Carrara marble around which figures of the 12 apostles are sculpted. It serves as a memorial for all those who are buried in the section and all individual grave markers at turf level.
Garden of the Cross
Located in the southwest part of the cemetery, tall pines stand guard on knolls of rolling terrain. Japanese yews outline the cross, and within the cross, blue gray granite monuments of regulated size are placed on the lots. The first row of monuments on both the east and west sides of the cross are of Wisconsin ruby red granite.
Lullaby Land
This is Fairlawn’s most special section. A heart-shaped area in the southeast part of the cemetery is set aside for infants. The section slopes upward and has tall spruce trees standing guard. Under these trees is a mounted granite pedestal, framed in white ornamental iron grillwork. A William Blake poem in which a child talks to a little lamb is etched on the granite.
Graceland Cemetery & Graceland’s beautifully landscaped grounds have their origins in 1919. The cemetery was set up when a group of Decatur and Niantic men acquired 54 acres of land on the northwest edge of Decatur for the purpose of establishing a modern perpetual care fund cemetery. Development work started by clearing the land of old buildings and fences, building roads, and adding a new fence around the tract. New drives were laid out and extensive landscaping undertaken. The landscape policy called for extensive use of evergreens. This helps keep the grounds attractive in summer and green in winter. During winter, when everything is covered with snow, it is a sight that could best be described as fairyland-like.
Over the years, we have added features to our facility that further enhances the picture-perfect beauty of Graceland.
Garden of Memories
In 1946, the Veteran’s Section was created. Known as the “Garden of Memories”, it is a fitting tribute to those who have served our country in times of war and their closest family members. A second addition to the Veteran’s Section has been developed. These two sections have served as the final resting place for nearly two-thirds of 1,000 veterans in Graceland. An 80 square feet Field of Honor, with a flagpole in the center of the Veteran’s Sections, marks the spot. .
In 1950, two 105-millimeter howitzers were brought by truck from the Rock Island arsenal and placed in the Field of Honor. There is a circle walk of colorful Crab Orchard stone around the field pieces and flagpole, and outside this walk are bronze plaques placed by families of servicemen buried overseas or lost at sea. Memorial Day programs honoring war veterans have been held in Decatur's cemeteries for more than 100 years. Since the late 1940's, Graceland has held ceremonies at the Field of Honor in Graceland..
Babyland Isle of Innocence
One of our unique features is the heart-shaped Babyland Isle of Innocence. Surrounded by drives, a bronze statue of a Dutch boy and girl, mounted on a Minnesota Odessa granite pedestal, occupies the center of the island. Created by a Duluth sculptor, it adds to the appeal of the architecture. The marble "Garden of Angels" statue in the Babyland section is another architectural landmark. It depicts boy and girl cherubs and a dog, and is mounted on a granite pedestal in blue pearl imported from Sweden.
Star of Hope Mausoleum
In 1969, the Star of Hope Mausoleum was ready for use. It’s one of our crowning achievements. Though not the largest or most elaborate, the mausoleum’s architecture is probably the finest in central Illinois. The middle section, done in A-style architecture, houses a 60-feet high chapel. The steep roof is covered with Buckingham slate. Two twenty-feet wings extend to the east and west of the chapel. The overall length of the building is 322 feet. The exterior is constructed with split face Lannon stone, in a random ashlar pattern with a limestone trim. An “eternally lighted” stainless steel cross is mounted on the exterior of the chapel’s front wall. The interior walls, made predominantly of marble, are polished to a mirror finish adding to the grand elegance of the Mausoleum. Potted plants and bouquets of cut flowers are always on display on handsome tables and niches. The V-shaped plate glass windows at the ends of several side corridors provide a 180-degree view of the beautifully landscaped surroundings.
Garden Estates
In 1953, a white Carrara marble statue depicting Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane was placed at the west side of the Estate Gardens. The statue, mounted on a pyramid of three granite slabs and placed at a slightly elevated spot, is readily seen from the drives and is the most outstanding architectural feature in the cemetery. The Garden Estates are in themselves a feature of the park-like layout of the burial sections. In 1956, Section R was opened and is said to be the first in the country to deviate from the traditional cemetery layout of row-on-row graves, which places the memorial monuments directly behind each other. In Section R, the lots are staggered and all can be seen from the drives that give access to the sections.
Valhalla
Yet another innovation that adds to the beauty of the facility is the Valhalla section. Adjacent to the Star of Hope Mausoleum, there is a beautiful fountain at the center which dances to the tune of the Illinois winds. At night, the lights add to the serene and peaceful environment.
The history of Spring Hill dates back to the 1780s when the first settlers moved in from the Cumberland settlement into an area six miles east of Nashville called Haysboro. The land offered fertile soil for their crops and a plentiful steady water source from several springs. Needing a church and school, James Robertson persuaded the Princeton educated Reverend Thomas B. Craighead of Mecklenburg, North Carolina, to move to Haysboro as a preacher and teacher. With a promise of 640 acres of land he arrived in 1785. The settlers had built a log house on the property for him and his family.
Fairlawn Cemetery
The story of Fairlawn Cemetery dates back to 1913 when an abandoned brickyard, full of potholes, trenches and ridges was acquired for development. The goal was to preserve the wooded areas and natural beauty of this Decatur location while restoring the ravaged sites to some semblance of their original state. Hundreds of trees were planted in the early stages of development. Today, this well landscaped and wooded area, paved with drives, trees and grassy slopes is a major Decatur landmark. .
In 1927, the Fairlawn Memorial Mausoleum was added to the cemetery near the north side. The mausoleum was the first building in Decatur to be constructed by the continuous pour operation for concrete walls. A crematory was installed on the lower level of the mausoleum in 1957. Private mausoleums are located along the top of a wooded slope near the front entrance of the cemetery..
Among the many unique features of Fairlawn Cemetery are included:
Garden of the Apostles
This is a circular colonnade of Italian marble. On the circular marble strip that links the pillars is inscribed, "Where the Spirit of the Lord Is, There is Liberty". The colonnade has a wishing well in white Carrara marble around which figures of the 12 apostles are sculpted. It serves as a memorial for all those who are buried in the section and all individual grave markers at turf level.
Garden of the Cross
Located in the southwest part of the cemetery, tall pines stand guard on knolls of rolling terrain. Japanese yews outline the cross, and within the cross, blue gray granite monuments of regulated size are placed on the lots. The first row of monuments on both the east and west sides of the cross are of Wisconsin ruby red granite.
Lullaby Land
This is Fairlawn’s most special section. A heart-shaped area in the southeast part of the cemetery is set aside for infants. The section slopes upward and has tall spruce trees standing guard. Under these trees is a mounted granite pedestal, framed in white ornamental iron grillwork. A William Blake poem in which a child talks to a little lamb is etched on the granite.