Life to the Beecher Masuoleum

August 25, 1999 Beecher Herald

by: Carol Henrichs

 

SANDRA LEE THIELMAN AND her hometown handyman, Ron Bunday are hanging one of the marble strips above Sandra’s mother Dollie Joanne Thielman’s burial place inside one of the four multiple burial crypts inside the Beecher Mausoleum.

SANDRA PAYS ATTENTION to every detail. Here she and Ron are trying to repair a door to a closet within the mausoleum where cleaning supplies may one day be kept.

THE FINAL RESTING PLACE for Louis Kirchhoff and his young son Harry are entombed behind this stone bearing their name. Theirs was the earliest date in the mausoleum built in 1913. Louis died a year before the completion of the mausoleum. He was first buried at St. Luke’s Cemetery and then re-interred inside the mausoleum with his son.

THE STONE OF MARIA HOFFMANN, the mother of Carrie Hoffman, the mistress of the Hoffmann’s Saloon in downtown Beecher during its heyday. The stone is finally in place, thanks to Thielman and Bunday who hoisted it to its rightful place recently, for the first time since who knows how long. It was found “laying around” on the floor of the mausoleum. It was the victim of vandalism, as shown by the break in the corner. The darkened spots are burn stains from the candles of vandals who had desecrated the building and its contents.

Guardian Angels Hard At Work

June 24, 1998 Beecher Herald

Guardian Angels Hard at Work

John Dean throws another branch on a smoldering brush pile as Irvin and Allen Beseke help.

Ron Bunday applies acid to the top of the Beecher Mausoleum, the first step in a three part process to remove years of stains from the historical landmark. Members of the Mausoleum Guardian Angel Restoration Association spent an entire weekend clearing brush around the building and brightening its exterior.

Ferne Matthias, Kyle Ohlendorf & ruth Ohlendorf, John DeanThe weekend activities included a bake sale to raise funds for restoration. Members of St. Luke’s United Church of Christ baked items for the sale. Ferna Matthias, Kyle Ohlendorf and Ruth Ohlendorf helped sell the items. Is that a look of hunger on John Dean’s face?

As this picture shows, the power-washing and acid treatments cut through the stains and brightened the mausoleum exterior. The Guardian Angels will return on the July 4th weekend to finish the job. Future projects include removing the peeling paint, tuck-pointing and putting on a new roof.

Thielman applies acid to the mausoleum ornate entrance, arguably its most distinctive feature. The three part process did wonders for the building but Sandra paid a price for the effort- minor acid burns on her face and hands.

The Guardian Angels began restoration work on the inside but the peeling paint on the ceiling demonstrates that much more needs to be done before the group completes its efforts. People interested in helping with the work or donating funds can contact Howard Paul at 946-2339.

Will County Historic LandmarkYears of neglect and vandalism have taken their toll on the mausoleum, which was recently designated as a historical landmark by the Will County “Historical Society” Historic Preservation Commission and the County Board. The mausoleum was constructed by Henry Thielman in 1913 and interred some of Beecher’s founding fathers.

Even Guardian Angels need an occasional breather. Left to right: Bunday, Irving Beseke, Allen Beseke and Sandra Thielman take a short break in front of the mausoleum. The Besekes’s in addition to helping clear brush, provided a large plastic tank to keep the power washers supplied with water.

Restoring for History

June 21, 1998 THE STAR

 Restoring for History

Sandra Lee Thielman, rolls a special acid-based paint on the outside walls of the Beecher Mausoleum that will help restore it to its original color. Fern Hoffmeyer, Beecher, buys a plate of brownies from Ruth Ohlendorf to support the restoration of the landmark, located at Horner Road and Dixie Highway. A bake sale to raise funds for the project took place last weekend at the site.

Labor Of Love

June 17, 1998 Beecher Herald

LABOR OF LOVE 

 

Sandra Thielman of the Beecher Mausoleum Guardian Angel Restoration and her friend Ron Bunday, a professional painter, gave the historical landmark a much-needed cleaning this weekend. The two dedicated workers painstakingly removed years of stains from Mausoleum walls with a three part process involving an acid wash, water rinse and the application of a neutralizer. The Guardian Angels spent the entire weekend clearing brush, cleaning walls and tidying up around the site. More pictures and information about the group’s ongoing efforts will appear in next week’s Beecher Herald.

Cleaning up the mausoleum

June 14, 1998 The Sunday Journal

by: Carol Henrichs

Cleaning up the mausoleum

6-14-1998 Cleaning Up The MauoslumeSandra Thielman, of Wonder Lake, Ill., led Saturday’s volunteer effort to clean-up the exterior of the Beecher Mausoleum. Dressed in protective garb, Ms. Thielman assisted professional painter Ron Bunday, also of Wonder Lake. The two applied a caustic limestone cleaner to the building which would then be washed off under pressure. The cleanup was the first step in the restoration process of the once-regal structure where five of Ms. Thielman’s descendants are laid to rest, including her great-grandfather Henry, the man credited with building the structure. Volunteers are needed for the effort which resumes today on the grounds of the Mausoleum just off Cemetery Road east of Dixie Highway.

Mausoleum Association Seeks Work Volunteers

June 10, 1998 Beecher Herald

by Tom Thompson

Mausoleum Association Seeks Work Volunteers

The Beecher Mausoleum Association Guardian Angles Project has scheduled three days of work at the site of the Beecher Mausoleum which has recently been declared an historical landmark.

According to Howard Paul, volunteers are needed for the project. The association would welcome help from people who can work the full time, only one day, or even for part of a day.

The work days are scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 12th through the 14th from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The group is undertaking a cleanup of the mausoleum itself and the grounds upon which it sits.

Volunteers should wear work gloves and if anyone can bring shovels, hoes or tools for trimming shrubbery and cutting branches out of trees, the association would appreciate the use of those tools.

The fire department is supplying enough water to pressure was the building. (editors note: the water was supplied by the Beseke family and not the fire department)

In additional to the cleanup project, the association will be holding a bake sale at the mausoleum of Saturday. People who can donate baked goods or money are asked to make the donations by noon on Saturday, the day of the sale.

Sandra Thielman, descendent of the main force in the building of the mausoleum, who has been the driving force to save it will be present.

People who wish to volunteer can find the mausoleum through the sign posted on Dixie Highway and Horner Ave. and on Indiana Ave, East of town

Mausoleum work planned at Beecher; volunteers wanted

May 13, 1998 Kankakee Daily Journal

by Carol Henrichs

 Mausoleum Work Planned at Beecher Mausoleum- Volunteers wanted

BEECHER – For the first time in years, the Beecher Mausoleum will be protected.

The deteriorating structure, which was designated as a county landmark by the Will County Board recently, is now protected by lock and chain. Those were installed Saturday on its ill-fitting doors by Sandra Thielman of Wonder Lake, whose mother and grandmother are interned there.

The lock-up is intended to keep vandals and other intruders out.

Ms. Thielman was in Beecher also to inspect the building and to plan for the first restoration work.

The mausoleum was built in 1913 by her great-grandfather, Henry Thielman, as a resting place for Beecher’s prominent. She has vowed to restore it.

On June 12, 13, and 14, she plans volunteer clean-up activities.

Sandra wants the job done yesterday, but, lacking both money and volunteers, she knows that isn’t possible. She hopes both will materialize when needed. When Sandra inspected the building Saturday, she noted that the winter hadn’t been kind.

“Some of the old cracks between the concrete slabs near the roof have deepened,” she said as she measured the building. “Tuckpointing is a must.”

She plans to have the exterior cleaned chemically and the roof replaced.

The June weekend will also include power washing the interior to remove peeling paint from the ceiling and to cleanse the marble.

Sandra first came back to Beecher last year to prepare for the inevitable burial of her 94-year-old grandmother Paula, who wanted her remains placed in the mausoleum next to those of her husband, Walter. Four other family members are interned there, including Sandra’s mother. Sandra was horrified by the deteriorated mausoleum, which she remembered as a regal structure she visited as a child.

In recent years vandals have scarred and scorched the beautiful white marble walls and floors. The place was covered with graffiti.

Sandra took up the task of restoration once her brother Scott, an engineer, told her that “If the building were taken care of, it would stand another thousand years.”

Not only was protection a priority for Sandra, but it was also a big concern for other descendants of family members buried there.