MISSION AND GOALS

Beecher Mausoleum

The Beecher Mausoleum Guardian Angel Association was formed in 1997 for the purpose of caring for and restoring the Beecher Mausoleum. In 1998, a Not-For-Profit organization status was granted by the state of Illinois. In 1999, the Will County Historic Preservation Commission approved Will County Landmark status, and the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Dept. of the Interior on Sept. 18, 2013.

Mission and Goals

Our mission is to preserve, protect and restore wherever possible the beauty, elegance, durability, strength and sacredness of purpose of the mausoleum. We borrow these words from an October 25, 1912 Beecher Herald article about the mausoleum’s construction.  Further, our mission is to return the mausoleum to a useful condition so it can once again serve the community.

We strive to preserve this peaceful, sacred setting for all visitors who come to pay their respects. We do this through the solicitation of donations. We have created this website to educate the public and inform the families and descendants of those interred in the mausoleum of our continuing restoration efforts, and to give them opportunities to connect with their history.

Objectives

The objectives of the Beecher Mausoleum Association include, but are not limited to, the following: preservation, beautification and enhancement of the mausoleum; creation of a long-range plan; formation of a board of directors according to State of Illinois laws; and return the mausoleum to an operating condition to once again serve the community as it was originally intended.

 Beecher Cemetery and Mausoleum Association

Board Members:

Sandra Lee Thielman – President

Bob Howard – Beecher, IL resident

Donald Bahlman – Architect

Lisa Campbell – Beecher, IL resident

Ben Juzeszyn – Beecher, IL resident

Don Sala – Beecher Historical Society, Beecher, IL

Beecher Mausoleum Guardian Angel Association 501c13

Board Members:

Sandra Lee Thielman – President

Robert E. Hildeman – Vice President

Barbara J. Hodgett – Treasurer

Donald Bahlman – Secretary

Karie K Reinwald – Trustee

Dave Hammerl – Trustee

New board members to both the Beecher Mausoleum Board and the Guardian Angels Board, a 501c13 recognized charity are welcome. Please contact Sandra if you wish to join us.

2 thoughts on “MISSION AND GOALS

  1. Dear Ms. Theilman,

    I’m Paul Kapp, we met in a former manner in June 2013 in Evanston. I am on the Illinois Historic Advisory Council of IHPA. I’m also an associate professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I teach historic restoration and historic preservation at the School.

    Every fall, I teach a building measuring course where I take students to measure a historic building. My students measure and then produce architecture drawings (plans, elevations, sections, and details) of the historic building. It is done at a very precise and high quality level. We then submit the drawings to the Historic American Building Survey and the drawings are deposited in the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. We also enter the drawings into a national competition called the Peterson Prize. Two years ago, we won 3rd place for our submission of our drawings of the Illinois Supreme Court Building.

    This year, I would very much like to do the Beecher Mausoleum as the subject of my course. Typically, I bring my students to the building site on Saturdays in September and October. We spend the day with measuring tapes and note pads and measure the building. We then go back to Urbana and produce the drawings, a set of black and white photographs, and a set of field notes. The set is a comprehensive record for both the owner and the National Park Service. We produce the set in AutoCad so they can be readily used for any future work that your group may choose to undertake.

    I hope that you and your colleagues would be interested in allowing my students to use the Beecher Mausoleum as the subject of my course. At your earliest convenience, please contact me at my cell phone number, (217)-898-1867.

    Once again, thank you for taking time in considering my request.

    All the best,

    Paul

  2. I am Jane Risley the Iroquois Township Trustee in Brook, Indiana. We have a Cecil E Bryan mausoleum in our Riverside Cemetery. It is very similar to yours and in the construction pictures on your website, the first picture on the left is ours, The Brook Abbey being constructed in 1912. WE did the first restoration in 2005 and should have the 2nd done in next month. We still have all 16 original stained glass windows that were restored in 2005. Would like to get together with you and tour your mausoleum and share information. Thank you

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