The disaster in Cherry
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| Tombstones of men and boys killed in the 1909 Cherry Mine Disaster line the east edge of the Miners’ Memorial Cemetery in Cherry. The community of Cherry has planned special events for this weekend in remembrance of the tragedy in which 259 people died. An exhibit of Cherry Mine Disaster artifacts and documents are displayed in the Princeton Public Library. The Bureau County Historical Society and Bureau County Genealogical Society also have information on the Cherry Mine Disaster. |
CHERRY/PRINCETON — One hundred years after the Cherry Mine Disaster, the communities of Cherry and Princeton are remembering the people and the anniversary of the largest tragedy in Bureau County history and the third worst mining disaster in American history.
The communities are encouraging people from throughout the area to join in the observances.
On Saturday, the Princeton Public Library will complete a two-week special exhibit centering around the days and events of the Cherry disaster. The exhibit features more than 100 artifacts, photographs and documents that celebrate the lives of the survivors and the 259 people who died in the Cherry Mine Disaster.
The Cherry Mine Disaster collection is presented almost entirely from the works of Princeton resident Ed Caldwell, who has spent much of the last 35 years researching and putting together a collection of information related to the event.
Princeton Public Library Director Grant Lynch talked Monday about the importance of the Cherry Mine Disaster exhibit, both as a study of history and as an influence to the future. The exhibit is especially fitting on the 100th anniversary of the disaster, he said.
“This is an important milestone in remembering the Cherry Mine Disaster. I think it’s an important exhibit because the Cherry Mine Disaster encompasses an important part of our history,” Lynch said. “Also, it is by studying our past that we become better prepared for the future.”
Learning from the Cherry Mine Disaster has helped people deal with issues like clean energy and alternative energies, Lynch said. The programs presented by the Princeton Fire Department for the library also helps people prepare for the future, for the safety and well-being of their families and properties, he said.
“It’s no good to study the past if it doesn’t help you change the future,” Lynch said.
The Cherry Mine Disaster exhibit also captures the humanity, the miners and their families, involved in the tragedy, Lynch said. It’s difficult to realize what it was like to live through that tragedy, but the exhibit helps people today feel like they are back in that time and place, he said.
Finishing out the Princeton observance, author Steve Stout presented a local history program on the Cherry Mine Disaster on Tuesday, and the library showed the film “How Green Was My Valley” on Wednesday. Today, on Thursday, the Princeton Fire Department will present programs at 4 and 7 p.m. on fire safety, with historical information connected to the Cherry Mine Disaster.
At 1:15 p.m. Friday, the anniversary date of the disaster, area churches have been invited to “Ring in Remembrance” their church bells, remembering the 259 men and boys who died Nov. 13, 1909, in the disaster, Lynch said. At 7 p.m. Friday, historian and folksinger Bulky Halker will present a program in the library meeting room.
As a special note, the Princeton Public Library will lend the Cherry Mine Disaster exhibit to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield from Nov. 15 until March 31. Titled “The Flames That Caught Us,” the exhibit will include, in part, the Ed Caldwell collection, historical documents and government reports.
In the Cherry village itself, the community has planned several events this weekend in observance of the 100th anniversary of the mine disaster.
On Saturday, the Mine Museum and Library will open at 8 a.m., with trolley rides from the museum to the mine area and other mine memorials beginning at 9 a.m.
The new Miners Monument ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. The new monument is 14 feet wide, with a peak on either side representing the slag heaps of red ash that are still visible from the mine site. One peak will have the names of 129 miners lost in the disaster, the other peak will list the names of the other 130 miners lost in the disaster. In between the peaks will be the black coal mine tipple, representing a three-dimensional vein of coal.
On Sunday, the Cherry community and guests are invited to a special mass at 8:30 a.m. at the Holy Trinity Church. The museum will open at 8 a.m. for people to once again come and remember the story of the Cherry Mine Disaster.
In addition to these observances, the Bureau County Historical Museum has a display on the Cherry Mine Disaster, with artifacts, photos, books and a cross-section model of the mine. The Bureau County Genealogical Social also has information and research regarding specific miners and families involved in the Cherry Mine Disaster.
BCR reporter Barb Kromphardt contributed to this story.
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