Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
September 18, 2013

The Beecher Mausoleum – A Washington Township Mausoleum

Listed on the United States Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places

 Sept. 18, 2013

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of the national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.

http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/feature/places/13000714.htm

Beecher Mausoleum

 Recognized by Landmarks Illinois as one of

“The Ten Most Endangered Historic Places of 2013”

 Click the link below for more information http://www.landmarks.org/ten_most_2013_community_mausoleums.htm

http://www.landmarks.org/images/ten_most_2013/FOR%20IMMEDIATE%20RELEASE-%20Beecher%20Mausoleum.pdf

The Beecher Mausoleum, poised atop a hill at the end of a long gravel road, overlooks the small Will County, Illinois town it was meant to serve. While it is a historic symbol of days long past, its connection with the present day is very much alive through the ancestry of many of the 171 souls entombed within it.

The building itself, constructed in the early part of the twentieth century, is made of fine Bedford stone with white marble walls lining the interior. It is an architectural monument to the early citizens of Beecher who envisioned eternal prominence for themselves and their kin. The spacious interior can be used as a quiet place where descendants can pay their respects.

“The beauty, elegance, durability, strength and sacredness of purpose will be unsurpassed anywhere,” proclaimed an article in the Oct. 25, 1912 Beecher Herald. “The building itself can never be destroyed by storm or fire, as there is no wood in its construction.”

Efforts are ongoing to preserve the status and stature of the Beecher Mausoleum, to pay homage to those whose initial idea it was to build it, to the souls whose remains are contained within it, and to the community which it serves.

In 1998, the Will County Historic Preservation Commission deemed the Beecher Mausoleum a historic landmark.

This site is dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of the souls interred herein.

Although substantial research has gone into learning about the people who rest here, this is an ongoing project. We are always seeking additional information.

Learn about the building itself as well as plans to create perpetual care for this historic structure.

Join us in our efforts. Donations are tax deductible.

Historical Information       Burial Listings        Volunteer

Located at 301 W. Horner Lane, Beecher, Illinois 60401.  The entrance is off Route 1. Look for signs for St. Luke’s Cemetery & Beecher Mausoleum

Local Beecher area map

 

Local Satellite view