PRESERVATION COMMITTEE EXPANDS MOUND CITY NATIONAL CEMETERY

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- A three-year campaign to expand the Mound City National Cemetery has become a reality.

Fueled by a $12,500 donation from Players Island Casino at Metropolis, the Mound City National Cemetery Preservation Commission recently purchased an additional three acres of space adjoining the current 12-acre cemetery. The cemetery was created during the Civil War.

The donation was approved by Players' Community Involvement Panel, a group which helps in many areas of community involvement. "Players is proud to take part in this expansion," said Michael Crider, Players Island vice president and general manger. "The Mound City cemetery is a historical site that has a great deal of impact on this region. It is a privilege to honor the veterans who have given so much to this country."An announcement and dedication of the expansion will take place at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the cemetery, located between Mounds and Mound City, at the intersection of Routes 51 and 37. Players Island will host the dedication cemetery, with registration to begin at 9:30 a.m.

Joining local, state and federal officials at the dedication will be Roger R. Rapp, director of field operations for the National Cemetery Administration at Washington D.C."A lot of people have donated toward the acquisition of the land to expand the cemetery," said James M. Larry, a member of the preservation commission. "And, this very generous donation by Players Island Casino at Metropolis, has enabled the commission to proceed immediately with the expansion project." The Veterans Day program held annually at the cemetery will be held two days early in connection with the expansion dedication. A crowd ranging from 500 to 2,500 participants is expected, including various American Legion Post, VFW Post and AmVets Posts from the tri-state area.

Parking at the cemetery is limited to dignitaries and officials. Transportation will be provided by shuttle from Mounds and Mound City."We'll be running shuttles from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m." said Larry. Shuttle stops will be at Stop and Shop and VFW at Mounds, and at St. Mary's Catholic Church and the Pulaski County Courthouse in Mound City.

The cemetery holds more than 7,500 people and was expected to run out of space in 2007. Burials range from 25 to 50 a year. Any honorably discharged veteran, spouse, and veteran's children under the age of 21 are eligible for burial in a national cemetery. Following the planned closure of the Mound City facility, burials would have been referred to national cemeteries in the St. Louis area and Springfield, Mo. The new acreage will provide an addition 2,000 burial spots and will assure that the cemetery will be available for veterans far into the 21st century."We didn't want to send our veterans somewhere else for burial," said Larry. The 12-acre, Mound City National Cemetery was established in November 1861 as a burial place for those soldiers who died at Civil War military hospitals located in Mound City and Cairo. The first patients were men wounded in the battle of Belmont, Mo., in November 1861. Combat at Shiloh and Fort Donelson in Tennessee in 1862 sent more wounded to Mound City, and the burial rate began to soar.

Although burials had already taken place, it wasn't until 1862 that President Abraham Lincoln authorized the establishment of national cemeteries for soldiers "who shall die in the service of our country." A dozen cemeteries were established, including the Mound City site.