Pauper Cemetery ~ Harrisburg, IL
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 37° 43.153 W 088° 33.183
16S E 363123 N 4175797
Mass graves to the photo front, and head stones to the rear, under the trees.
Waymark Code: WM8CJT
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 03/12/2010
Views: 2
Number of Graves: 595 recorded
County of Cemetery: Saline County
Earliest Grave: 1849
Location of Cemetery: 1595 Feazel St., Harrisburg
Historical Marker Erected by: Saline County Historical Society and Saline County Tourism Board
Text of that Historical Marker:
THE PAUPER CEMETERY This cemetery, called the pauper Cemetery has burials going as far back as 1849 contains stone markers with record of 263 burials at least 60 of which were children. These records indicate that not only people from the Poor Farm were buried here but it was the county burial site for unknown vagrants, murder victims, people killed in the nearby coal mine, abandoned and deceased children. "Colored" and Caucasian were buried side by side from the very beginning, death being the only criteria for a place. The custom of the time was for those not having a funeral to be buried the same day which brought about the following justifications in the burial notes: "Run over by a train at Wasson" "Gun shot wound" "Unknown baby girl found in sewer" "Gunshot wound administered by Chief of Police" "Shot by Charlie Birger at Ledford" "Daddy" "Lithuania-wife still in Europe" "Found dead in ditch" "Carnival worker" "Murdered" "Left leg of Charlie Yates-O'Gara #3 coal mine accident".