Woodland Cemetery Commemorates 175 Years with Walking Tour, Presentations

By Andrew Houp
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    Crowds gather at Woodland Cemetery Saturday for the dedication of the Morris and Talbott family mausoleum mural, which was just completed. Photo: Andrew Houp

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    Tom Clegg, portraying Colonel Mathew Tinley, Commander of the 168th Infantry from 1918-1919. Clegg was one of many in period dress giving presentation on Woodland Cemetery history during the 175th anniversary event and tour on Saturday. Photo: Andrew Houp

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    Tom Clegg displays dog tags worn by his grandfather during World War I. Clegg is a board member of the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum at Camp Dodge. Photo: Andrew Houp

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    Former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad speaking during the dedication ceremony of the Morris and Talbot families' mausoleum mural. The mural was completed by local artist Shawn Palek in just three days. Photo: Andrew Houp

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    Local artist Shawn Palek delivers remarks during the dedication ceremony at the Morris and Talbot family mausoleum mural Saturday. Palek painted the mural (behind where he is standing) in just three days. The mausoleum dates back to the late 1800s. The original façade was covered over by the concrete wall containing the mural in the 1940s due to decay. Photo: Andrew Houp

(Des Moines, IA) -- Many visitors walked through Woodland Cemetery on Saturday, as part of the 175th anniversary commemoration of the cemetery, which dates back to 1848. Ganesh Ganpat with Des Moines Parks and Recreation says Woodland started from donated farmland.

"When the cemetery was officially plotted, it kind of grew in different directions depending on where people wanted to be buried," Ganpat said. "There were some designated sections for veterans, but people had the opportunity to choose where they wanted to end up."

Saturday's anniversary event had many presenters portraying historical figures. Tom Clegg, with the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum at Camp Dodge, came in period uniform as Col. Mathew Tinley, who commanded the 3rd Iowa Division, which became the 168th Infantry during World War I.

"They died because they preferred our future freedom above their present comfort, something we better remember," Clegg said. Clegg was presenting the history of the World War I section of Woodland, which contains the graves of at least 15 from the 168th, and also some from the 88th Division, which was assembled, trained, and armed at Camp Dodge.

Many of the veteran graves were reinterred at Woodland after being recovered from Europe in the early 1920s. The section also contains the grave of Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Emory Jenison Pike, fatally wounded in action near Vandieres, France in September of 1918, while rendering aid to a wounded soldier.

The anniversary celebration also featured the dedication of a mural, painted by local artist Shawn Palek, over a wall at the mausoleum of the Morris and Talbott families. Former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad also spoke at the dedication. The wall was placed over the entrance of the mausoleum in the mid-1940s due to decay.

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