World War II Memorial is 64 years old

Elm Lawn Memorial Cemetery, from junior high through all ages, is a good place to visit history on Veterans Day or Memorial Day or any time that is comfortable. Take Warren Street (the street just south of the Pizza Hut) four blocks west off of Main Street.

The June 28, 1945, edition of the Bureau County Republican announced that the dedication of Bureau County’s World War II Memorial would be dedicated at 3 p.m. at Elm Lawn Cemetery. The article announced that this is the memorial that the bronze plaques on the brick wall containing the names of Bureau County’s war dead would be unveiled sometime in 1946. The World War II Mothers Unit of Princeton and the other units in Bureau County towns started the plans to erect and pay for the memorial that would have the names of their sons, who lost their lives during World War II.

On Sunday, Sept. 15, 1946, World War II Mothers Chapters of Bureau County unveiled the memorial containing 145 names of their sons from each town in Bureau County, who lost their lives during World War II

The unveiling ceremony was organized by Mr. and Mrs. James DeVore with the cooperation of many civics groups and individuals. Three speakers spoke to a crowd of several hundred solemn observers of the sacrifices and unselfish comradeship that it took to win the war. U.S. Congressman Everett Dirksen reviewed the world’s long battles in search for permanent peace and other thoughtful ideas for world peace.

In the spring of 2009, after picking up the wreaths for the winter decorations, I noticed the granite marker on the front part of the platform was tilted backwards. During the summer the cemetery employees temporally straightened the marker. A concrete foundation that is dug down below the frost line needs to be installed to make the two pieces that hold up the plaque level.

Princeton Hugh Midaugh Unit 17 and the Mothers of World War II of Bureau County donated these plaques in memory of our sons who paid the supreme sacrifice. Any veterans reading this article, whose mothers were members of these units, that may have some information about these units, I would be glad to hear from you.