Riverside Cemetery
The old Moline Cemetery consisted of about five acres, from the north center of the Bill Mills farm, each lot holder being a member of the Association. The association turning this over to the City of Moline, who purchased seventy-five acres more and afterwards ten acres additional, making altogether ninety acres. The. first burial ground in the Village of Moline was where Charles H. Deere’s residence now is, bodies being removed to the present old cemetery, from which a considerable number have been removed to the new part: some interments are still made in the older portion. The Moline Cemetery Association was incorporated by special charter in 1851. The petitioners for a charter were A. J. Perkins, Hiram Hull, A. F. Swander, R. N. Tate, Joseph Jackman, L. E. Oker and George P. Vesey. It was granted power to own real estate not to exceed ten acres, and funeral property not to exceed at one time five hundred dollars. At the first meeting of the stockholders (owners of lots) held May 5, 1851, for the purpose of electing trustees, eighty-one votes were cast; M. Grenell, N. C. Tyrrell and Joseph Jackman were elected. This board of trustees appointed S. P. Hodges secretary, Joseph Jackman treasurer, and Joseph Pershing sexton. An ordinance to establish and regulate the Riverside Cemetery of the City of Moline, was passed June 7, 1873. This ordinance dedicated to the purpose of burial, the present Riverside Cemetery, and vested its management in a board of directors, one of whom should be the mayor of the city, who, ex-officio, was to be the chairman of the board, the six other members to be appointed by the mayor and consent of the City Council. John Deere was mayor at this time, and the following were appointed members of the board, viz: H. O. Sleight, A. S. Wright, C. W. Lobdell, D. L. Wheelock, H. H. Grover and A. Williams. C. W. Lobdell was elected secretary and treasurer July 25, 1873. At this meeting a resolution was passed requesting the City Council to act upon securing other grounds further removed from the city, it being “the opinion of the cemetery board that the present location of the cemetery will permanently injure the growth of the city and retard its prosperity.” The City Council took no favorable action in the matter, and the plan of Daniel Gordon, surveyor, for laying out the grounds in its several outlines was adopted by the board. The same year (1873) it was voted to close the public entrance to the old cemetery and to move the gates to Ann Street (Sixth Avenue) forth-with. The present lodge, for the use of the superintendent of Riverside Cemetery, was built in 1884.
Source: Historic Rock Island County, pub. Kramer & Company, Rock Island, Illinois, 1908